Test Your Endurance in Queensland in 2016

Where else in the world can you earn the bragging rights of crossing the finish line after conquering the natural landscapes of the Atherton Tablelands, tag yourself and your mates running a race across the red sand of 'Big Red', watch dogs compete for the longboard championships as the sun sets on Noosa's iconic beaches or test your state of endurance in one of Australia's toughest tris – the Julia Creek Dirt & Dust?

Only It's Live! in Queensland, a calendar of more than 116 events featuring Australia's best live events staged in the best destinations, has you covered for the only endurance events you need to mark in your training diary this year.

QUIKSILVER PRO AND ROXY PRO

28 February – 13 March\
The pumping beach breaks on the southern Gold Coast make a fitting backdrop to the Quicksilver Pro and Roxy Pro which marks the opening of the men's and women's world surfing tours. Boasting a prize purse of $500,000, the event sets up shop at Snapper Rocks whose custom-built sandbar offers world-class waves and flawless right-hand barrels, but can relocate to Kirra or Burleigh if the superbank is not thumping. Expect big names such as Kelly Slater, Joel Parkinson, Mick Fanning, Stephanie Gilmore and Gabriel Medina to grace the waves here.

NOOSA FESTIVAL OF SURFING

5-12 March
Mark a weekend in your diary to trek North and celebrate all that's swell about Noosa: the surf. A record number of competitors are tipped to flock to this Sunshine Coast destination to mark the 25th anniversary of “8 days of pure stoke”. Hosted by the Noosa Malibu Club, there will be more than 30 divisions in this competition including longboard, short board, finless, stand-up paddle boards, body surfing and even dog surfing. Renowned for its perfect peeling waves off First Point, there will also be a unique entertainment village on the sand in front of the break with licensed bar and food franchises, live music and movies nightly, and a surf expo featuring the latest in surfboards and surf wear.

MOOLOOLABA TRIATHLON FESTIVAL

11-13 March
A firm fixture on the Australian triathlon calendar for more than 23 years, this Olympic distance tri provides a well-known course with a favoured ocean swim. Part of a multi-sport event, there's something for everyone including the ASICS Mooloolaba Twilight 5km run; 1km Ocean Swim; Superkidz Triathlon; and the Special Tri. The event also features the Mooloolaba ITU Triathlon World Cup, where some of the biggest names in triathlon will pound the same course. Off the course, spectators can visit the Mooloolaba Sport and Lifestyle Expo. Join in the buzz cheering on the athletes as they venture to this popular beach town!

ITU WORLD TRIATHLON GOLD COAST

9-10 April
Some of the world's best triathletes will descend on the Gold Coast for the 2016 ITU World Triathlon. With the sun, surf and sand staging the challenging course sets the path for these elite athletes to begin preparation for the 2018 World Triathlon Series and the Commonwealth Games.

JULIA CREEK DIRT N DUST FESTIVAL

15-17 April

JULIA CREEK DIRT N DUST FESTIVAL

Three days of jam packed adventure and old-fashioned outback hospitality keeps the droves coming to the small town of Julia Creek one weekend a year. Combining a triathlon, bog snorkeling and the Dirt n Dust bull ride, this is an event where the gutsy need only apply. Be sure to take in the iconic Red Claw Luncheon where punters are treated to locally-farmed red claw or for the cheekier of the bunch get on board with Australia's Best Butt competition.

AUSTRALIAN SURF LIFE SAVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

16 - 24 April
Better known as “The Aussies”, the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships, are turning back to the 80s for the 2016 events. Last held on the Sunshine Coast in 1980, the largest event of its kind is back for eight-days of fun, competition and comradery across venues at Maroochydore, Alexandra Headlands and Mooloolaba Beach.

UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CUP

23-24 April
It goes to Rio and it also comes to Cairns. The Union Cycliste Internationale's (UCI's) 2016 season of major mountain bike events will be marked by the Rio 2016 Olympic Games; the UCI World Championships in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic (for Olympic cross-country – XCO); and Val di Sole, Italy (downhill and four-cross – DHI and 4X); as well as the return to Cairns in Tropical North Queensland and La Bresse (France). The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, presented by Shimano, will include nine rounds in 2016 with the Cairns event a dress rehearsal for the 2017 UCI World Championships. So, on your bike, what are you waiting for?

NOOSA ULTIMATE SPORTS FESTIVAL

27-28 May 2016
What better backdrop could beginner and seasoned athletes ask for at this weekend billed as the ultimate for sports, fun and entertainment. Participate in the Zinc 96.1 Swim Noosa over 3.8km, 2km, 1km or 500 metres. Or the Etixx Run Noosa, held as a Half Marathon, 10km or 5km event, might be more your style. Failing that, what about the Subaru Cycle Noosa in which you can compete over 85km or 160km. Or what about all three? Yes, there's something for everyone and every fitness level at this festival which practically screams adrenalin.

CAIRNS AIRPORT ADVENTURE FESTIVAL

5-12 June 2016

CAIRNS AIRPORT ADVENTURE FESTIVAL

Set in Tropical North Queensland, this seven-day event is part of a Multi-Sport Tri and includes Ironman Cairns, Ironman 70.3 Cairns, and the Coral Coast 5150 Triathlon. Escape the winter cold down south and head north for warm days and nights, crystal-clear waters and palm-fringed beaches which are all trademarks of the Cairns Airport Adventure Festival. Other events in this exciting week include the RRR Mountain Bike Challenge, Great Barrier Reef Ocean Challenge, Quicksilver Reef Swim – Green Island, The Cairns Post Bright Night Run and McDonalds Ironkids Cairns – a triathlon designed especially for kids. So strap on your stamina, you're going to need it.

GOLD COAST AIRPORT MARATHON

2-3 July

GOLD COAST AIRPORT MARATHON

Pitted as Australia's premier road race, and the first marathon in the country to hold an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Road Race Gold Label, it's hard to beat this course based on pure scenery alone. They say if you want to post your personal beast, the flat, fast course which hugs the Gold Coast's beaches and Broadwater, is the place to do it. Held annually on the first weekend of July, more than 27,000 participants compete in a variety of races including the Gold Coast Airport Marathon itself, Wheelchair Marathon, ASICS Half Marathon, Wheelchair 15km, Southern Cross University 10km Run, Suncorp Bank 5.7km Challenge, and Junior Dash 4km and 2km races. So esteemed and established is this event, 2016 will mark its 38th year.

IRONMAN 70.3 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

4 September
Watch history be made as one of the world's best races, the Ironman 70.3 world championships take place in Australia against the backdrop of the picturesque Sunshine Coast in September 2016. Competitors will take in the best the Mooloolaba coast has to offer with a challenging circuit that incorporates some of the coast's iconic destinations.

NOOSA TRIATHLON MULTI-SPORT FESTIVAL

30 October
Die-hard fans of triathlon love this event, held on the Sunshine Coast, which is not only Noosa's most prominent annual festival, but also Australia's largest triathlon event and the largest Multi-Sport festival of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Fitness fanatics won't be disappointed with everything from the Endura Noosa Run Swim Run to the Noosa Tri Charity Golf on offer. In between, there's the Tour De Noosa Cycle & Breakfast with the Stars; Noosa Breakfast Fun Run; Arena Noosa 1000 Ocean Swim; Coates Hire Noosa Superkidz Triathlon; and Tingriana Noosa Special Triathlon. Add to that the Noosa Legends Triathlon; SUBARU Australian Open Criterium Women's and Men's events; the ASICS Bolt; and the Noosa Sport and Lifestyle Expo; and you've got one heck of an event. And did we mention, it's at Noosa?

THE TROPICAL JOURNEYS GREAT BARRIER REEF MARATHON FESTIVAL

6 November
If you are compelled to run a marathon, why not do it alongside one of the world's most spectacular natural icons – the Great Barrier Reef. Staged in Port Douglas, Australian marathon legend Steve Moneghetti has dubbed this race the “world's best”. Taking in all the delights of Tropical North Queensland, participants can run 74km JCU Ultra Marathon; 42km adventure marathon; or 21km half marathon set along the fantastic fringing reefs and ancient rainforest for which this region is renowned. There's also a 10km, 5km, and 2.5km junior challenge. All races start at stunning Four Mile Beach. After all, life is a marathon, not a sprint.

Visit www.queensland.com/events for a full listing of events in Queensland