The 51-year-old was allegedly murdered by a man she didn’t know after she left her home to go running in the Canadian State Forest about 7am on February 4.
Police have said they believe she was killed on that day.
The large group of runners, predominantly women, also set off at 7am, and covered the same route Murphy was believed to have run, in her honour.
Event co-organiser Melanie Tudball said the gathering was also about supporting the grieving community and combatting any fear around going out running.
“We just wanted to come out and show the Ballarat community that we feel you. We understand what you’re going through and we want to stand beside you through this time,” she said.
“It was great to have an event to show strength in numbers.
“We’re not afraid we’re still going to continue to walk and jog and do all the things that we’ve done normally.”
Co-organiser Teena Buskens added: “It was obvious that there was quite a bit of emotion so it was really important to have this space for people to process what’s happened.”
Participant Belinda Horne said Murphy’s alleged murder had caused people to evaluate the safety of exercising alone.
“It certainly does impact you and causes you to think a little more when you’re going out,” she said.
The 22-year-old remains behind bars and will face court in August.
