FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2011 Gold Coast Airport Marathon a record-breaking event
In the aftermath of this year's 33rd Gold Coast Airport Marathon,
the breaking of a 22-year-old race record and the fastest ever non-games
marathon in Australia cemented the event as having arguably Australia's
fastest marathon course.
Kenyan Nicholas Manza's marathon win smashed by 10 seconds Brad Camp's
previous race record of 2:10:11 set in 1989, and was the third fastest
marathon ever run in Australia, bettered only by Rob de Castella and Juma
Ikangaa's 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games marathons.
Manza's first place earned him $10,000 and an extra $10,000 provided by
race organisers for breaking Camp's course record.
Ethiopian Goitetom Tesema blitzed the women's marathon in 2:30:08, the
second fastest time for a female in the history of the event.
History was also made in the ASICS Half Marathon on Sunday when New South
Welshman Jeff Hunt took the first ever back-to-back win of the 21.1km
course.
Fellow Sydneysider Lara Tamsett was the first female over the line,
clocking a 1:12:19 finish in her half marathon debut.
Saturday's races were highlighted by Michael Shelley's fifth win in the
Southern Cross University 10km Run, finishing in 28:55, just two seconds
outside of his own race record set last year.
It took to six the total number of races Shelley has won at the event
including his half marathon win in 2008, equalling fellow Queenslander and
Gold Coast Airport Marathon ambassador Pat Carroll's record.
For a total of three race records set this year, Queensland 10-year-olds
Kobi Rutherford and Katrina Robinson notched up new male and female race
records in the 4km Junior Dash.
Records were set off the track too, with 120 teams comprising more than
6,000 runners registered. With a huge 603 members covering 10,399
kilometres of race course, Team Health took out corporate honours for the
largest team as well as most kilometres travelled. Best corporate team
spirit was awarded to the Griffith International team. In the fitness
category, Step Into Life was a big winner with 176 members covering 2,615
kilometres earning it prizes for the largest team and most kilometres
travelled, while Fitness Connections won for best team spirit on event
weekend.
58 runners were inducted into the 10 Year Club this year, with a further 10
inducted into the 20 Year Club, honouring runners' completion of the same
race at the event 10 and 20 times respectively. 69-year-old Graeme McLennan
of Grafton became only the second person to be inducted into the 30 Year
Club in the event's 33-year history, after completing his 30th 42.195km
Gold Coast Airport Marathon on the weekend.
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, who finished the Southern Cross University
10km Run on Saturday in just over one hour three minutes returned to the
track on Sunday to welcome Commonwealth Games delegates from Africa as they
assessed the Gold Coast's capability of staging the 2018 Commonwealth
Games. Other notable finishes included Gold Coast Health Service District
CEO Dr Adrian Nowitzke's 4:03:38 finish of the full marathon and Gold Coast
Suns coach Guy McKenna's completion of the full marathon in 5:17:50, just
hours after a flight back from the team's Saturday game in Perth.
More than $300,000 was raised for various charities through the Everyday
Hero website, and Adrian Hondros was the highest individual fundraiser,
donating $7,350 to Fair Go Australia. Suncorp Bank recognised Adrian's
fundraising achievements with a further $2,500 to Fair Go Australia as well
as $1,000 in a Suncorp Everyday Basics Account for Adrian, which he also
donated to the charity. Asset management company KKR Sydney was the top
team fundraiser, donating more than $60,000 to the Fred Hollows Foundation.
The Gold Coast Airport Marathon's official charity Cancer Council
Queensland celebrated its 50th birthday with CEO Jeff Dunn running his
first ever half marathon as part of a strong contingent of fundraisers
aiming to raise $50,000.
In other fundraising news, the Japan Association of Gold Coast sold all
1,000 of its "I ran for Japan" wristbands as well as "Pray for Japan"
T-shirts at the ASICS Sport & Leisure Expo to raise more than $11,000 for
the Red Cross to help those affected by this year's devastating natural
disasters.
The Suncorp Bank Volunteer Program attracted more than 1,000 volunteers in
roles such as Aid Stations, Road Marshals and Recovery Assistants to help
ensure the smooth running of the event.
Organised by Events Queensland Gold Coast, the Gold Coast Airport Marathon
has grown in participant numbers for the past 10 consecutive years, with a
record 24,726 entrants this year. Of those, more than 700 came from Japan
and almost 400 travelled from New Zealand. Hundreds of runners from
Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and other international destinations also
participated. More than 6,000 entrants came from interstate while around
10,000 runners visited the Gold Coast from other parts of Queensland for
race weekend.
Events Queensland Gold Coast General Manager Cameron Hart said the weekend
was a resounding success.
"This weekend was a weekend of records – record numbers of people running,
record numbers of visitors to the event, a record amount of money raised
for charity and three race records broken," he said.
"The Gold Coast Airport Marathon continues to get bigger and better … this
city's credentials for planning and delivering world-class sporting events
have again been on show this weekend."
The 2012 Gold Coast Airport Marathon will be held on Saturday 30 June and
Sunday 1 July, based again at the Broadwater Parklands in Southport."
Race entries
TOTAL: 24,726
Winners
Gold Coast Airport Marathon: Male – Nicholas Manza (Kenya), Female –
Goitetom Tesema (Ethiopia)
ASICS Half Marathon: Male – Jeff Hunt (NSW), Female – Lara Tamsett (NSW)
Wheelchair Half Marathon: Sam Carter (Qld)
Southern Cross University 10km Run: Male – Michael Shelley (Qld), Female –
Melanie Daniels (Tas)
Queensland Health 5km Challenge: Male - Christian Wilson (Qld), Female -
Coreena Cleland (Vic)
4km Junior Dash: Male – Calvin Quirk (Qld), Female – Nozomi Tanaka (Japan)
2km Junior Dash: Male – Kobi Rutherford (Qld), Female – Katrina Robinson
(Qld)
IAAF Oceania Marathon Championships: Male – Lee Troop (Vic), Female – Roxie
Fraser (Qld)
IAAF Oceania Half Marathon Championships: Male – Jeff Hunt (NSW), Female –
Lara Tamsett (NSW)
Queensland Marathon Championships: Male – Patrick Nispel (Qld), Female –
Roxie Fraser (Qld)
Australian Defence Marathon Championships: Male – Rowan Walker (Vic),
Female - Candice Cushway (ACT)
Australian Masters Athletics Marathon Championships: Male – Andrew Heyden
(NSW), Female – Lisa Davies (SA)
Queensland Masters Athletics Marathon Championships: Male – Jason Hall
(Qld), Female – Margot Manning (Qld)
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