Dusk
till
Dawn.
Lap after Lap, from Dusk to dawn once a year, every year. The event that started everything, and never needed to be anything more than it already was.
How it started
In 1993, Geoff gathered a handful of mates at the Toogoolawah Showgrounds with a handful of headlamps and an idea so simple it barely qualified as a plan: run from dusk until dawn, see who was still standing. No timing chips, no finisher medals, no online registration. Just a paddock, the dark, and the quiet understanding that this was exactly the kind of thing worth doing.
That first year there was no fanfare. The course was a loop around the showgrounds, the same one runners still cover today. What mattered was what happened out on that loop at 2 in the morning — the way strangers become teammates when the darkness stretches long enough.
What the name means
It’s not a metaphor. The event genuinely runs from dusk to dawn. The long options — 12 hours and 24 hours — take competitors from the warm glow of a Queensland evening through the flat black of the small hours and out the other side into sunrise. Every runner who’s been out there at 4 am knows the particular quality of that darkness: cold now, impossibly quiet, the stars very close. Then the sky starts to lighten in the east, and the finish line becomes real again.
The shorter options — the 3-hour and 6-hour — catch the best parts: the dusk start with the showgrounds glowing amber, and the deep-night hours when headlamps string along the track like a slow-moving constellation.
The course
Toogoolawah Showgrounds sits about 90 minutes west of Brisbane in the Somerset region of Queensland. The course is a measured loop around the grounds — flat, firm underfoot, and lit through the night for the overnight competitors. The simplicity is the point. No trail navigation, no dramatic elevation. Just you, the loop, and as many laps as you choose to run.
This format suits every kind of competitor. The loop means you’re never far from your crew, your food, your drop bag. It means the spectators — families, friends, the local community — can cheer every single lap. And it means that when you need to stop, you can. No one is left out on a trail somewhere. Everyone is always five minutes from the finish.
Race options
There are two ways to compete at Dusk till Dawn: by time, or by distance.
Time-based options run for 3, 6, 12, or 24 hours. Your goal is to cover as many laps as possible in that window. The 24-hour is the signature format — the one that asks the most, and gives the most back. The 12-hour is the classic overnight: start at dusk, finish at dawn.
Distance-based options let you set your target and run to it. From a social 5km right through to the full 100km. Ideal for runners who want a defined finish line rather than a ticking clock.
All options share the same course, the same start, the same community. The fast 100km runners and the first-time 5km walkers are all out there together, on the same loop, under the same sky.
This is the part Geoff is most matter-of-fact about. He doesn’t run a fundraiser with a charity attached. He runs a charity event that happens to involve running. The distinction matters to him.
Across 33 years, that commitment hasn’t wavered. Entry fees, merchandise, donations on the day — it all goes through to Community Friends. If you run Dusk till Dawn, you’re not just running for yourself.
What to expect
Bring your headlamp. Bring more food than you think you need. Wear clothes you can run in at 28°C at dusk and 10°C at 3 am. The Queensland night surprises people who haven’t experienced it.
You need to be self sufficient. There will be a base area with enough room for your crew and your gear. There will be people who have done this before who will tell you everything is going fine, and they will be right.
The atmosphere is what regulars come back for. Geoff runs a tight ship logistically but a loose one socially. Walk if you need to. Eat at the table. Talk to the person next to you. This event has been going for 33 years because the people who run it keep coming back, and they keep coming back because of how it feels to be out there.
Getting there
Toogoolawah is in the Lockyer Valley / Somerset region, approximately 90 minutes west of Brisbane via the D’Aguilar Highway. The showgrounds are the main venue for the town and are easy to find. Camping and accommodation options are available in the area — email Geoff if you need recommendations.