FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gold Coast Airport Marathon named QSport 2013 Queensland Sport Event

The 35th annual Gold Coast Airport Marathon was last night named the QSport
2013 Queensland Sport Event at the Queensland Sport Awards in Brisbane.

The win confirms the event's status as an international standard sporting
event.

"This is a tribute to everyone who has helped build the event into
Australia's leading marathon over then past three and a half decades,"
Events Management Queensland General Manager Cameron Hart said today.

"That includes the Surfers Paradise Rotary Club originators back in 1979
and the tens of thousands of people who have worked or volunteered since to
make the Gold Coast Airport Marathon the top class race weekend and event
showpiece that it is today," he said.

The Marathon was successful against finalists the calibre of the Queensland
Open Golf Championship, State of Origin 2, the British and Irish Lions v
Wallabies Rugby Union Test and the National Taekwondo Championships.

Events Management Queensland Director and Gold Coast sports matriarch
Daphne Pirie was also recognised on the evening by induction into the
Queensland Sport Hall of Fame.

The Gold Coast Airport Marathon is a Queensland Tourism Awards Hall of
Famer and earlier this year took out the Spirit of the Gold Coast gong at
the Gold Coast Media Awards.

It has also been granted a prestigious IAAF Bronze Label – the first
Australian marathon to achieve such a distinction.

"We're already well down the track with the planning of our 5-6 July 2014
event and we look forward to building once again on the Gold Coast Airport
Marathon's great national and international reputation," Mr Hart said.

"Our completely new website www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au will be
launched later this month, something that will really help generate a lot
of excitement for next year's event," he said.

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