A record number of runners are set to hit the road for a milestone event.
About 7500 participants will lace up for the 10th edition of the Sunshine Coast Marathon Festival, to be held at Alexandra Headland on Sunday, August 14.
They will converge for a variety of races, including a marathon (42.2km), half marathon (21.1km), 10km, 5km and 2km.
Event director, Jason Crowther of Atlas Events, said the festival was more popular than ever.
“The event is community focused, it has a really good course and many people want to have a holiday here for it,” he said.
“And everyone is pretty excited about the Sunshine Coast being the host destination for the marathon at the 2032 Games.
“So we’ve got everything going for us, to host a good event.”
The festival was expected to significantly boost the local economy.
“It brings around $4 to 5 million of economic benefits to the region each year,” Mr Crowther said.
“There are flow-on effects to industries like travel, food and experiences.
“People come for the event but stay and do other things around it.”
The festival has come a long way since it was first held with about 4000 participants in 2012.
Mr Crowther said he never thought it would expand “to this scale”.
“We knew it was going to be a good community event but we didn’t know it would grow to this status, which is great,” he said.
“We’re lucky that the (Sunshine Coast) Council and the community support it so well. We’ve got about 600 volunteers.
“Sunshine Coasters like attending these types of events and they are also happy when there is one on their doorstep. They embrace it.”
And there are plans for the festival to grow in prestige.
“We’re talking with the IAAF (International Amateur Athletics Federation) to get our event to become a Gold Label event.
“We want to start hosting some world and junior world events in the lead-up to the Games.
“We need to make sure we’ve got the type of event they (the IAAF) need, with strict guidelines for on-course safety, participation experience, drug testing and participant numbers.
“The label events are the best marathons you can compete at.”
There are currently only three Australian label road races, including Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast.
Mr Crowther also said the Sunshine Coast would be the ideal location for the marathon at the 2032 Games.
“There will be a good course and good conditions at that time of year (likely August), and there will be plenty of places where you can watch the race, from cafes and parks.”
More than 1000 competitors will tackle the marathon on Sunday, while more than 3000 people will take part in the half marathon, which will double as the Australian Half Marathon Championships for the sixth time.
“We’ve got a stellar field for the half,” Mr Crowther said.
“We’ve got the fastest half marathon runners in the country, with Brett Robinson and Lisa Weightman, so we expect some fast times.”
Ms Weightman, of Melbourne, holds the women’s race record of 1hr08min48sec, which she recorded in 2019.
The experience inspired her to return this year.
“I really enjoyed the event last time, so I wanted to come back and to see all my friends, who I haven’t really been able to catch up with because of the lockdowns.” she said.
“The (Atlas Events) team does an amazing job to build such a great atmosphere with the crowd. The cheering gives runners a huge lift.
“There is usually perfect weather for the event too, so you can’t ask for much more than that as an athlete.”
The 43-year-old has competed at several Olympic Games, including Beijing (2008), London (2012), Rio (2016) and Tokyo (2021).
“When I was young, I would never have believed you if you had told me I would compete at four Olympics,” she said.
“It’s been an amazing journey and lots of fun for myself and my family, travelling the world and being able to run in marathons.
“And the journey is not over.”
She hoped to compete at Paris 2024.
“I have a marathon later this year, when there is an opportunity to run a personal best time that I’ve been chasing for a number of years,” she said.
“If I can do that, then I’ll sign up for another marathon early next year and hopefully secure a qualifying time for Paris and see if I can make it to five (Olympics).”
Her personal best marathon time of 2hr25min15sec was recorded at London in 2017 but she clocked her second fastest time (2hr25min55sec) on the Gold Coast in July.
“So, I’m pretty close to it,” she said.
This weekend’s half marathon will help her build into her campaign.
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Ms Weightman said she was dejected at missing out on the Commonwealth Games in England.
“I was disappointed not to be selected,” she said.
“I had really hoped to have that opportunity to win the gold medal, after claiming silver (2018) and bronze (2010) but that’s part of sport and life and I can’t dwell on it and I have to focus on the next goal and be resilient.
“The girls ran amazingly well there and did us proud and there are other things in my future.”
Ms Weightman juggles running with working full-time as an associate partner at IBM and she enjoys spending time with her family, including her husband Lachlan and their son Peter, 7.
The forecast is for perfect running conditions on Sunday, with sunny skies and an expected maximum temperature of 22 degrees Celsius.
A registration kiosk, merchandise store and expo will be at the venue from Friday afternoon until Sunday, while a family movie night will also be held on Friday.
The festival started in 2012 but did not run in 2020 due to the impacts of COVID.
Sunshine Coast Council Economy Portfolio Councillor Terry Landsberg said the marathon festival had grown significantly during the past decade, to become one of our region’s signature events.
“Our region has long been regarded as a leading destination for outdoor events like the marathon, the (Mooloolaba) Tri and Ironman 70.3 (Sunshine Coast),” he said.
“Kudos to the event organisers Atlas Events and all the volunteers that come back each year and manage thousands of local and visiting runners.
“Hosting events like the Marathon make significant contributions to our economy through the visitor numbers getting heads on beds and engaging with local businesses as well as the engagement of local suppliers to support the event with infrastructure and services.”
Sunshine Coast Marathon Festival
Where: Event precinct, Alexandra Headland Surf Life Saving Club.
When: Sunday, August 14 (marathon and half marathon 6am, 10km 9am, 5km 10.15am, 2km 11.20am).
Entry: Free for spectators. Race entries can be taken online until 5pm Friday, August 12 and late entries can be accepted until 4pm Saturday, August 13 at the event precinct, subject to availability.
For more information, including course maps see Sunshine Coast Marathon.
Marathon legend’s lunch
A charity event, featuring a marathon legend, will be held in conjunction with the Sunshine Coast Marathon Festival.
The Indigenous Marathon Foundation Charity Lunch will be held at Alex Surf Club on Saturday, August 13 (11.30am to 3pm).
Attendees will join Australia’s former world champion marathon runner Robert de Castella, 40 years after he won gold at the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games.
The lunch will help bring awareness to the foundation that Mr de Castella founded to encourage more indigenous participation in distance running.
Alongside him on stage will be Olympic marathon runner Brett Robinson and Indigenous artist Ray Landers.
The event will include a sport memorabilia auction to raise funds for the @TheMarathonProject, hosted by Evan ‘Banger’ Bancroft. To purchase tickets, see Eventbrite.
