The Sunshine Coast Kokoda Challenge is coming up on Saturday, 10 May, and kicks off the exciting 2025 Kokoda Challenge event series! The special event is on Mother's Day weekend this year, making it the perfect opportunity for participants to spend quality time with their mum or family, as they take on an unforgettable hiking challenge together. The highly-anticipated event attracts over 1,200 participants to the picturesque rural town of Kenilworth and offers hiking distances of 18, 30 or 48km.
To celebrate Mother's Day, the Kokoda Youth Foundation are giving away a two-night stay for four (with breakfast) at the Mercure Resort Gold Coast for one lucky Sunshine Coast Kokoda Challenge participant, so they can enjoy a relaxing getaway after the event, or gift it to a loved one.
The Kokoda Challenge is Australia's largest team endurance event, renowned for its important dual purpose:
- Honouring the legacy of our Australian Diggers who fought in the 1942 Kokoda Campaign, instilling the characteristics of Courage, Endurance, Mateship, and Sacrifice in participants.
- Raising valuable funds for the Kokoda Youth Foundation, which provides free, adventure-based programs that have been changing the lives of hundreds of young people since 2004.
The Kokoda Challenge marks its monumental 20th Anniversary in 2025. This year promises to be a landmark celebration with an inaugural event in Sydney (20-21 September), as well as in the established locations of Sunshine Coast (10 May), Brisbane (7 June), and Gold Coast (19-20 July).
Kokoda Challenge continues to be a very popular event, consistently selling out in Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Each year, it attracts over 8,700 Challengers who complete 18km, 30km, 48km, or 96km hikes. In teams of 2-5, participants conquer the challenging bush trails together as they raise important funds for the Kokoda Youth Foundation's life-changing programs for teens. They are rewarded with greater resilience, self-confidence and teamwork, and the satisfaction of knowing they have made a real difference.
Among the 2024 participants were 4,400 school students (along with their teachers) who incorporated the Challenge into their curriculum as part of their commitment to physical and personal development.
The principal event of the Kokoda Challenge is the 96km hike (offered in Gold Coast and Sydney), which participants must complete within 39 hours. This time limit is a tribute to the 39th Battalion, the first to fight at the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea.
Each event will begin with a commemorative service to honour Kokoda veterans and other men and women who have served our country. Every participant will receive a free Kokoda Challenge t-shirt and commemorative metal dog tag, for completing the event.
Join the Kokoda Challenge on the Sunshine Coast this May and be part of an event that not only provides a physical and mental challenge, but also honours our history and supports a great cause.
Teams are encouraged to register now, as spots are filling fast.
