What's on your trail running playlist?

What songs Aussie runners are listening to right now

New Spotify data has revealed the artists, songs and genres dominating Australian running playlists. And spoiler alert: electronic and dance music ruled the headphones and Brisbane runners in particular seem particularly fond of putting their running kilometres to music.

Want to know what else made the cut? Scroll down for the full Spotify running lists.

But is trail running a slightly different kettle of fish? We do long climbs, technical descents and hours alone in the bush. Sometimes music helps but sometimes the last thing you want is a thumping 150 beats per minute being driven into your skull while you’re trying not to eat dirt.

So, what made the playlist?

According to Spotify data that’s been extracted from Aussie playlists, Australian runners have a definite preference for a beat. Now granted, this data predominantly comes from road running but it’s worth a read.

FISHER is the most-streamed Australian artist on running playlists, followed by Sia and Dom Dolla. AC/DC comes in fourth, with RÜFÜS DU SOL rounding out the top five. Empire of the Sun, Flume, Tame Impala, Timmy Trumpet and The Kid LAROI complete the top 10.

Globally, No Broke Boys by Disco Lines and Tinashe is the most-streamed track on Australian running playlists, followed by Kisses by BL3SS and I Run by HAVEN. Macklemore’s enduring Can’t Hold Us also makes the top five.

There are some interesting geographical differences within our great country, too. Among Australia’s five largest cities, Brisbane has the highest share of running-track streams, ahead of Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.

And if you’re after something a little more literal, Spotify also looked at the most-streamed songs by Australians this year with “run”, “running” or “runner” in the title (no surprises there). I Run takes top spot, Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill is second and the Choirboys classic Run to Paradise lands at number three.

This got us wondering whether what works on the road translates to the trails.

Top 10 Aussie Artists on Running Playlists

• FISHER
• Sia
• Dom Dolla
• AC/DC
• RÜFÜS DU SOL
• Empire Of The Sun
• Flume
• Tame Impala
• Timmy Trumpet
• The Kid LAROI.

Top 3 Global Songs Streamed on Running Playlists

• “No Broke Boys” by Disco Lines & Tinashe
• “Kisses.” by BL3SS
• “I Run” by HAVEN.
• “The Days – NOTION Remix” by Chrystal, NOTION
• “Can’t Hold Us (feat. Ray Dalton)” by Macklemore
• “Say My Name – Remix” by Florence + The Machine, Morgan Seatree
• “Waterfalls (feat. Sam Harper & Bobby Harvey)” by James Hype
• “Borderline” by Ely Oaks, LAVINIA
• “Think About Us” by D.O.D, Poppy Baskcomb, Sonny Fodera
• “Alibi (feat. Rudimental)” by Ella Henderson

Australia’s Top Running Songs

The top 10 most-streamed songs by Australians in 2026 (January–July) with “run,” “running,” or “runner” in the track title.

• “I Run” by HAVEN.
• “Running up that Hill” by Kate Bush
• “Run to Paradise” by Choirboys
• “run for the hills” by Tate McRae
• “Run This Town” by JAŸ-Z, Kanye West, Rihanna
• “Young Hearts Run Free” by Candi Staton
• “Run It! (feat. Juelz Santana)” by Chris Brown, Juelz Santana
• “Running Around” by Ely Oaks
• “Run To You” by Bryan Adams
• “Caribbean Queen (No More Love On the Run)” by Billy Ocean

Taking the playlist off-road

On a flat road run, settling into a rhythmic beat makes a lot of sense. But on the trails, pace can change from one minute to the next. A runnable stretch of singletrack can turn into a steep climb, a creek crossing or a descent pretty quick so that perfect soundtrack can suddenly feel completely wrong and even become a bit distracting.

So we think matching music to trail running is more about what works for the trail you’re running right now.

The climb

When you’re halfway up a monster climb and hurting, the right song can change everything. Take Queenslander Zoe Manning, blasting out her version of Highway to Hell as she hauled herself up the huge Dingo Ridge climb recently during the 2026 Buffalo Stampede. “Nobody’s gonna slow me down…” indeed. And apparently they didn’t—Zoe went on to claim third in the women’s 42km SkyMarathon.

Of course, no song is going to make the vert disappear. But if it can make you forget the pain in your legs—or how much further there is to go—we’ll take it. It gives you something else to focus on and drowns out the internal whinging.

And when the top is finally somewhere in sight, a bit of AC/DC hits the mark.

The runnable stuff

Then there are those stretches where everything just clicks. A long, fast stint of trail, good legs and an unturnoffable song — suddenly you’re moving.

Given FISHER, Dom Dolla, RÜFÜS DU SOL and Flume all make Australia’s running-playlist top 10, plenty of us are apparently reaching for a beat when we run like a roadie.

And on a sweet stretch of flowing singletrack, it’s not hard to see why.

Hour six

Then there’s the long run. What was the best music you’ve ever heard 40 minutes in becomes completely unbearable hours later after the third listen.

A few hours in and all bets are off. The carefully curated playlist is ditched for some random song you’d never admit to liking but it’s absolutely hitting the spot.

And sometimes a song lands at exactly the right moment. The legs are cooked, enthusiasm is rapidly disappearing and ditching the music is increasingly attractive. Then something kicks in through the headphones and somehow your head’s back in the game. The legs might still be cooked, but you’ve found enough to keep going.

Can Spotify match the trail?

Spotify just launched Running Mode in Australia, which builds personalised music sessions around things like workout type, duration, music genre and beats per minute.

Sounds handy. But trails aren’t particularly good at sticking to the plan. Matching a playlist to sudden creek crossings and switchbacks could be interesting.

Still, if you’re heading out for an easy run, have a long stretch of runnable trail ahead or simply can’t be bothered building another playlist, Running Mode could be worth a look.

Just don’t expect Spotify to know when the trail suddenly points skyward.

Over to you

Spotify’s numbers tell us plenty about what Australians are listening to while they run. But once you hit the dirt, what belongs in your ears is entirely up to you.

The song that gets one runner up a monster climb could drive another completely bonkers. That could be the best thing about a trail running playlist. There’s no right one. If it gets you up the hill, through the rough patch or makes a long stretch of singletrack a bit better, it’s doing its job.

Although if Zoe Manning has taught us anything, a little AC/DC probably doesn’t hurt either.

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