FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday's Gold Coast Airport Marathon to
Attract Unprecedented International Attention
Teetering race records, the best-credentialed field ever of elite runners,
the prestigious IAAF Road Race Bronze Label for the race and a fast, flat
course are all expected to combine to grab the international spotlight.
Entries across all events for this weekend's marathon carnival (6-7 July)
close at 8pm on Friday night (5 July).
The Marathon organisers are thrilled with the quality of the elite runners
for this event. Joining last year's men's second-placed runner – Kenya's
Robert Mwangi – will be four athletes who all boast sub-2hrs 10mins for a
marathon.
This time is significant. While the Gold Coast course is considered one of
the fastest internationally, no runner has ever broken the 2:10 barrier
here, with the record set in 2011 by Kenya's Nicholas Manza at 2:10:01.
That mark will come under heavy fire on Sunday. Mwangi is returning with
the sole aim to lower his 2:10:04 PB by more than four seconds and go one
better in 2013, which would hand him the $15,000 winner's cheque, plus an
extra $5,000 for breaking the race record.
In his way are four runners who have already beaten that mark by at least
one minute.
Men's race favourite is Kenya's Jairus Chanchima, who set a sizzling PB of
2:07:43 when placing seventh in the Seoul Marathon last year.
Chanchima has the form and the intent to etch the Gold Coast Airport
Marathon even deeper into the international athletics landscape.
He not only wants to win the race, break the course record, but to also run
the fastest marathon time ever in this country, a mark set by the legendary
Robert de Castella of 2:09:18 at the Brisbane Commonwealth Games way back
in 1982. If he achieves this he will pocket a bonus $20,000.
What makes that a definite possibility on Sunday is the quality of runners
surrounding Chanchima.
These include Ethiopian Girmay Birhanu Gebru who has a PB of 2:08:11 and
has already run two sub-2:10s this year – 2:08:11 when second in the Rome
Marathon and 2:09:48 in the Dubai Marathon.
Another runner in hot form is Japan's top hope Yuki Kawauchi, who ran a PB
of 2:08:14 in Seoul this year. He was fourth in the Gold Coast race last
year and holds the course record for the Sydney Marathon.
The fourth sub-2:10 runner in the field is Kenya's Samson Barmao, who also
is running hot. He was sixth in this year's Rome Marathon in 2:09:47 and
has a PB of 2:08:52.
The added interest to the 2013 Gold Coast Airport Marathon is that it is
also the host of a series of championships including the IAAF Oceania Area
Marathon Championships. A hot contender for this will be New Zealand's
Aaron Pulford who will be making his marathon debut, but has an impressive
half marathon PB of 1:06:01.
One of the most vulnerable, but also longest-standing marks expected to
fall this weekend is the women's marathon record of 2:29:29 set in 1993 by
Japan's Erico Asai.
Just like the men's race there are a host of runners with a form line to
better this time.
The leading contender is Japan's Yukiko Akaba, 33, whose PB is well below
the race record at 2:24:09. She has a host of top marathon results on her
CV including a third in this year's London Marathon in 2:24:43.
Countrywoman Eri Okubo has a PB of 2:26:08, which was set last year in her
home city of Tokyo.
A number of African runners have nominated. Among these are the 2011 Gold
Coast winner, Ethiopia's Goitetom Tesema, who clocked a 2:30:08 back then,
but in the same year ran a PB of 2:26:21.
Kenyan Alice Ngerechi is another with a sub-record PB of 2:26:26. She has
her goal as a strong comeback on the Gold Coast after starting a family.
One of the most inspirational stories from this weekend's racing could come
out of the women's marathon via Kiwi entrant Sally Gibbs.
The photo-journalist ran her marathon PB (2:41:15) on the Gold Coast last
year and her half marathon PB (1:17:03) in Christchurch this year.
Obviously she is getting faster, however Gibbs is 50 years old. She took up
running just five years ago and since has made up remarkable ground and has
had considerable success across distances from 800m to marathon, not only
in masters age groups, but against all-comers.
She will be one of the hot contenders for the Oceania Area title against
the likes of New Zealanders Alexandra Williams (PB 2:41:29) and Lisa
Robertson (PB 2:41:56) and Aussies Anita Keem (PB 2:42:42), Kirsten Molloy
(PB 2:43:43) and Cassandra Fien (debut).
Giving the Gold Coast Airport Marathon even more kudos this year is that it
has been granted an International Association of Athletics Federations
(IAAF) Road Race Bronze Medal - becoming the first Australian marathon to
attain this prestigious international ranking.
Other championships being contested this weekend are:
Australian Half Marathon Championships (sponsored by Gold Coast Airport),
Queensland Marathon Championships, Australian Defence Marathon
Championships, Australian Masters Athletics Marathon Championships,
Queensland Masters Athletics Marathon Championships, Australian Open
Running Club Championships and the Australian University Sport Distance
Running Championships.
Leading Chances – Men
Jairus Chanchima
Race number: 1
Age: 28
Home country: Kenya
Marathon PB: 2:07:43 Seoul, Korea, 2012
Girmay Birhanu Gebru
Race Number: 2
Age: 26
Home Country: Ethiopia
Marathon PB: 2:08:11 Rome, Italy, 2013
Yuki Kawauchi
Race Number: 3
Age: 26
Home Country: Japan
Marathon PB: 2:08:14
Samson Barmao
Race Number: 4
Age: 31
Home Country: Kenya
Marathon PB: 2:08:52
Robert Mwangi
Race Number: 5
Age: 26
Home Country: Kenya
Marathon PB: 2:10:04
Edwin Kiprop Korir
Race Number: 6
Age: 24
Home Country: Kenya
Marathon PB: 2:10:26 Zurich, Switzerland, 2013
Taiga Ito
Race Number: 7
Age: 26
Home Country: Japan
Marathon PB: 2:11:15 Japan 2013
Kensuke Takahashi
Race Number: 8
Age: 35
Home Country: Japan
Marathon PB: 2:11:25 Tokyo, Japan, 2009
Jacob Mwema Wanjuki
Race Number: 9
Age: 27
Home Country: Kenya
Marathon PB: Debut
Leading Chances – Women
Yukiko Akaba
Race Number: 51
Age: 33
Home Country: Japan
Marathon PB: 2:24:09 London, UK, 2011
Asnakech Mengistu Egigayehu
Race Number: 52
Age: 27
Home Country: Ethiopia
Marathon PB: 2:25:50 Milan, Italy, 2010
Eri Okubo
Race Number: 53
Age: 30
Home Country: Tokyo, Japan
Marathon PB: 2:26:08 Tokyo, Japan, 2012
Goitetom Tesema
Race Number: 55
Age: 25
Home Country: Ethiopia
Marathon PB: 2:26:21 Rome, Italy, 2011
Alice Ngerechi
Race Number: 56
Age: 36
Home Country: Kenya
Marathon PB: 2:26:36 Milan, Italy, 2001
Alevtina Ivanova
Race Number: 57
Age: 38
Home Country: Russia
Marathon PB: 2:26:38 Nagoya, Japan, 2008
Hellen Mugo
Race Number: 58
Age: 27
Home Country: Kenya
Marathon PB: 2:27:16 Carpi, Italy, 2010
Sally Gibbs
Race Number: 60
Age: 50
Home Country: New Zealand
Marathon PB: 2:41:15 Gold Coast, 2012
Cassandra Fien
Race Number: 68
Age: 27
Home City: Sydney, NSW
Marathon PB: Debut
Race Records
Male
2:10:01 Nicholas Manza KEN 2011
Female
2:29:29 Erico Asai JPN 1993
The Gold Coast Airport Marathon is a major highlight on Queensland's event
calendar, attracting people from more than 30 countries and showcasing the
Gold Coast as a premier sporting event destination.
This year's race program will feature the full 42.195km Gold Coast Airport
Marathon, ASICS Half Marathon, Southern Cross University 10km Run, Suncorp
Bank 5.7km Challenge and 4km and 2km Junior Dash races.
Runners and walkers also have the opportunity to dedicate their run and
raise funds for the official charity Cancer Council Queensland or for a
charity of their choice.
For more information, or to enter, visit www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au.
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