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The long-standing 22-year-old Gold Coast Airport Marathon men’s race record has finally been broken on another groundbreaking day for the event which drew a record 24,726 runners.
GOLD COAST AIRPORT MARATHON/Australia – MEN’S RACE RECORD SET IN 2011 GOLD COAST AIRPORT MARATHON – ALL AFRICAN AFFAIR WITH MEN’S AND WOMEN’S WINNERS
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The long-standing 22-year-old Gold Coast Airport Marathon men’s race record has finally been broken on another groundbreaking day for the event which drew a record 24,726 runners. Kenyan Nicholas Manza, 26, breasted the tape to set a new low mark of 2:10:01 at today’s marathon weekend headliner on the Gold Coast. It lowered by 10 seconds Brad Camp’s previous best mark of 2:10:11 set in 1989. It was a Kenyan trifecta with Albert Matebor 2:10:13 and Japhet Kipkorir 2:10:50 in second and third. Ethiopia’s Goitetom Tesema blitzed the women’s race in 2:30:08, 11 minutes ahead of Caloundra’s Roxie Fraser 2:41:17 and Japan’s Chihiro Tanaka 2:43:04. Both winners pocketed $10,000 for their win but, after agonisingly missing a $25,000 bonus for breaking 2:10:00 by one second, organisers (Events Queensland Gold Coast) decided to present Manza with a $10,000 bonus for breaking the race record. Events Queensland Gold Coast Chairman Kerry Watson said in recognition of Manza’s exceptionally strong run and smashing the race record by 10 seconds, it was fitting to reward him with a further $10,000. “Even though Nicholas didn’t quite reach the 2:10:00 standard set for the bonus prizemoney ($25,000), his performance was exceptional and lowered Brad Camp’s longstanding race record. We felt it fitting to further reward his performance.” Manza’s and Tesema’s wins delighted a bumper race day crowd and 18-strong group of visiting African VIPs including Olympic and world middle and long distance champion, African legend Dr Kip Keino. The men’s race looked an African result from the halfway mark whenMatebor and Manzaaudaciously broke away from US-based pacesetters Jason Hartmann and Patrick Rizzo and led a group of eight runners. At the 36km mark, Manza made his winning move, putting 50 metres between himself and Matebor over the next kilometre and keeping himself well on race record pace. He maintained a handy 100 metre buffer for the final six kilometres. “I’m just happy to win the race. It is very special for me to win the race. I am so happy,” he said. “It’s hard in Kenya because there are so many marathon runners. A lot of guys run 2:05. “It’s been a great race and it’s very special to me because it’s my first time in Australia,” he said. Matebor said he felt the going tough over the closing stages after a great duel with his Kenyan compatriots. “The second half was tough. He [Manza] ran away at 36 kilometres and I knew I couldn’t hold on,” he said. Third placegetter Japhet Kipkorir said his plan was to run with the leaders, but the pace was faster than he expected. “They broke away from me at 30 kilometres,” he said. “I was in better shape at the Melbourne Marathon last year [where he set his previous PB of 2:11:04]. Tesema, who was determined to break the two and a half hour mark, had to run solo for most of the race. “I was trying to run under 2:30, but it was a hard run. I was out there by myself,” she said. Fraser, who rarely runs with a wristwatch but did so today, improved her personal best by over a minute. She decided reeling in the early frontrunners one-by-one was the best way to stand on the victory dais. “I could see the second, third and fourth ladies 100 metres ahead and I caught the fourth at 23ks and the third and second at 34ks,” Fraser said. “I stayed with them for a bit and then thought I’d try to get rid of them. “Most of the elites don’t run the way I do. I don’t have a coach and I don’t train with a stopwatch and my goal is to have fun and make my husband proud,” she said. Tanaka’s target was to come within the top three. “So that’s completed and I’m happy,” Tanaka, who finished outside of her 2:35:15 PB, said. “At 25km I got a cramp. I had to stop and I slowed down after that,” she said. Tanaka said she drew inspiration from her daughter Nozomi’s win in the 4km Junior Dash on Saturday. “I wasn’t expecting Nozomi to come in first. It was a good stimulant for me to do well today.” Victorian Lee Troop was hampered by a problematic hamstring in today’s attempt to post a London 2012 Olympic qualifying time of 2:12:00. Troop crossed the line in sixth place in 2:15:45. “Unfortunately I was restricted in my left hamstring and never really got into rhythm early,” Troop said. “I’ve raced [Kenyans] for 20 years and they are good. I knew they were all going to work together. “Bottom line, I just had to control myself, I couldn’t control the Kenyans,” he said. Troop said he’s not giving up on his London Olympic dream and will make the most of the two more qualifying opportunities still available to him. Today’s Gold Coast Airport Marathon action was played out in front of an Africa Region delegation on the Gold Coast to inspect the city’s suitability to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The delegation comprised 14 National Olympic Council presidents, two secretary generals and two Olympic committee board members. They arrived on the Gold Coast on Saturday night from Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, The Gambia, Uganda and Zambia. A delighted Events Queensland Gold Coast General Manager Cameron Hart said he couldn’t be more proud of the achievements today by not only the elite runners but also the fun runners and joggers, volunteers, officials and especially the event staff. “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 (over $300,000) and finally the race record in the men’s marathon was broken. “With another record-breaking Gold Coast Airport Marathon conducted, this city’s credentials for planning and delivering world class sporting events have again been on show. “With the Commonwealth Games delegation from Africa here to assess the event, we feel we’ve done all we possibly can to give the 2018 Commonwealth Games bid a boost.” 2011 Participants – Total 24,761 |
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12:11pm Male
Female
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| 9:40am Tesema has won the women's Gold Coast Airport Marathon in 2:30:08. |
| 9:38am Tesema through 40km at 2:22 in the women's marathon. |
| 9:20am New course record! Nicholas Manza has won the Gold Coast Airport Marathon in 2:10:01. |
| 9:13am Manza through 40km at 2:02:56 on pace for 2:09:42 |
| 9:12am Manza in front at the 40km mark |
| 9:06am Nicholas Manza breaks away with less than 5km to go in the Gold Coast Airport Marathon. Watch the live webcast. |
| 8:58am Matebor and Manza still in the lead in the men's race. Tesema in front in the women's race. |
| 8:42am Matebor and Manza have gone through 30km mark at 1:31:53 – still on race record pace. |
| 8:37am Matebor and Manza lead a group of 3 by 10 seconds at the 25km mark of the Gold Coast Airport Marathon on pace for a sub 2:09 marathon. Lee Troop in 8th position, 1 minute behind. Tesema through the 25km mark in the women's race on record pace. Check out the live webcast. |
| 8:34am 3625 people took part in the Queensland Health 5km Challenge. Two of the first across the line in the non-competition event travelled to the Gold Coast from North Carolina (USA) as part of the Down Under Sports Program. The Down Under Sports Program offers young people from the United States the opportunity to take part in events internationally. Dakota Foskey (2nd female across the line) was keen to be first across the line. "I didn't know where the finish line was, so I kicked with about 50 metres to go. It was disappointing. I had a lot left and would have kicked earlier if I had have known," she said. The third male to finish, Jeremy Gower said he enjoyed the experience. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I raised about $6500 in my home town to get here. It is better than I expected. The conditions were great." For the record, Christian Wilson was first male across the line in a time of 15:56 while Coreena Cleland broke 18 minutes for the first time, finishing in 17:53. |
| 8:16am Tesema (53:04) leads Tanaka, McAdam and Hunter Galvan (56:54) by 3 mins 50 sec at the 15km mark. Roxie Fraser in 4th position coming through at 57:18. Manza and Matebor break-away in men's race after 20km. See the 20km split times here |
| 8am Lead pack has turned at Burleigh Heads and is now heading north. Back to 12 in pack. Aussie Lee Troop hanging on. Next group 2 mins + behind. Check out the live webcast. |
| 7:42am Group of 11 through the 10km mark. Koech drops off back. See 10km splits here. |
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7:30am |
| 7:00am HUNT TAKES FIRST BACK-TO-BACK ASICS HALF MARATHONS ON GOLD COAST FELLOW SYDNEYSIDER TAMSETT TAKES THE SPOILS IN WOMEN'S RACE
Defending champion Jeff Hunt notched the first back-to-back victories in the 29-year history of the ASICS Half Marathon on the Gold Coast this morning.
Hunt, from Sydney crossed the line in 1:04:04, ahead of Japanese duo Hiroki Tanaka (1:04:48) and Daisuke Koyama (1:04:57) who both recorded personal bests.
Running into a slight headwind on the way home, Hunt's time was 45 seconds slower than his winning time last year and outside Benson Masaya's 1992 race record of 1:01:16.
"I tried to relax until about five kilometres and then picked it up," Hunt said.
"I knew what pace I had to do to run my pre-departure for Korea [the World Championships Marathon in August].
"At five to six kilometres I knew there were two people behind me but I didn't know who.
"I thought it was Pete (Nowill), but it was the two Japanese guys and I knew they were running on their PBs.
"I knew I had to knock it out of them.
"The last couple of kilometres were tough and the wind picked up when we ran beside the Broadwater," he lamented.
Tanaka was reasonably pleased with his run and, despite recording a PB was undecided about how he went.
"My time was not very good, but in terms of the start time early in the morning, and a quite fast race, the time was good considering," he said.
Koyama was slightly happier with his performance.
"The pace was about three kilometres per minute which was a good pace for me," he said.
Another Sydneysider, Lara Tamsett, 22, took the women's honours in 1:12:19 in a stunning half marathon debut.
The slightly-built 2010 City to Surf winner carried heel pain (Planta Fasciistis) into the race which niggled her in the closing stages.
"The last six kilometres I was not happy. I just kept thinking 'get to the next kilometre'.
"There was a point at three kilometres to go where Jess had put the attack back on but I managed to dig a little bit deeper," she said.
Adelaide's Jessica Trengove improved on her third placing here last year to take second in a personal best of 1:12:28 while UK-born Melbourne-based Abigail Bayley filled third place on the podium (1:13:40), also a PB.
"I beat my PB by about 25 seconds today, which was great," Trengove said.
"I came into the race a more experienced runner [than last year] and I ran a more even race.
"Lara, Abigail and I all challenged and pushed each other," she said.
8,901 runners took to the flat 21.1km ASICS Half Marathon course on a crisp, clear Gold Coast morning. |
| Watch this page for the latest press releases regarding the Gold Coast Airport Marathon.Also, check out the live webcast. |
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SATURDAY REPORT – 2 JULY 2011 Michael Shelley won his fifth Southern Cross University 10km Run at the Gold Coast Airport Marathon today, but his own race record eluded him by the most teasing of margins. Shelley, 26, from Oxenford, clocked 28:55, just two seconds outside of the 28:53 mark he set last year. Victoria's Matthew Bayley set a personal best of 30:20 in taking second while NSW's Scott Westcott took third in 30:34 in his first race back from injury. Tasmania's Melanie Daniels was the first woman across the line in 35:06 in front of Alexandra Watson from Tweed Heads, NSW (35:31), and Victoria's Karen Barlow (35:47). 5998 runners faced the Southern Cross University 10km Run starter on a cool and clear Gold Coast morning. Despite missing out on the record, Shelley said he was pleased with his effort in an event he's made his own. "The wind was the main reason I didn't get it [the race record]," Shelley said. "I went out hard and coming past the Grand Hotel in Labrador (3km to go), the wind was up and that's where I slowed. "This is my first race since the London Marathon two and a half months ago, so I didn't know what shape I'd be in. "The downtime was good but I've come back feeling really fresh. Any time under 29 minutes though is great and I've got to be happy with that," he said. Victoria's Bayley said he was happy with his run. "I came in fourth last year, so it was good to get a place this year. "The seventh to ninth kilometres were the toughest because I was running alone, but once I hit the last kilometre the crowd was there and it was a great atmosphere. "I'm pleased. I'm only 22. I've got a long way to go," he said. Westcott, 35, who had an enforced 14 month layoff through stress fractures to his feet, was similarly pleased with his comeback effort. "It takes a long time to get back into competitive shape, but that was pretty good out there for me today," the 2006 Commonwealth Games marathoner said. Daniels surprised herself with her run. "I didn't expect to win the race," she said. "I'm very happy. It's one of the best courses, there was a lot of encouragement along the way and I really enjoyed it," she said. Watson ran with one eye on the clock. "It was a bit dodgy when I first went out but coming back I motored it. I was really paranoid [about her time]. Barlow started well but failed to factor in the headwind on the way home. "I went out conservatively and tried to reel them in one by one, but I struggled the last few kilometres running into the wind. "But I'm thrilled to come in third in a race of this calibre," she said. Earlier in the day Queensland's Sam Carter took out the wheelchair half marathon in an upset over the more fancied defending champion Richard Nicholson from the ACT Carter covered the course in 52:30 with Nicholson 19 seconds in arrears. "It feels absolutely amazing to be the first winner [of the Gold Coast Airport Marathon weekend]," he said. "I love the course and I found the cool temperature helped because I warmed up out there pretty quickly," he said. Nicholson, who covered the course two minutes slower than his winning time last year was disappointed with his race. "I dropped [pace] in the last three kilometres as I wasn't paying attention," he said. 1141 children took part in today's Junior Dashes over 4km and 2km. 14-year-old Calvin Quirk from Hope Island on the Gold Coast took out the 4km Junior Dash in 13 minutes 8 seconds. The 2011 national all schools 3,000m champion put a 24-second buffer on second placed Kye Wylde to record the win. Calvin's sister and Queensland representative Sabrina came eighth in the girl's event. The top 10 boys in the 4km event were Queenslanders while there was an international win in the girl's event. Nozomi Tanaka, 11, from Japan was hoping her impressive 4km victory is a portent to a family sequel tomorrow. Her mother Chihiro Tanaka, 40, will line up as one of the hot favourites in Sunday's Gold Coast Airport Marathon. TSS student Kobi Rutherford and Brisbane's Katrina Robinson had celebration in mind after their 2km Dash victories. "I've been training since I was six and I thought I might win," Kobi said. "I'm going to celebrate at my brother's birthday party today," he said. Katrina said she's keen on a fast food fix. "I started running at six as well and I'm going to celebrate my win today by going to Hungry Jacks with mum and dad," she said. Events Queensland Gold Coast General Manager Cameron Hart said today's program provided a great start the record-breaking event for 2011. "Blue skies, sunshine and thousands of excited runners and spectators was a fantastic start to the Gold Coast Airport Marathon for 2011. "To see almost 6,000 line up in the Southern Cross University 10km Run, a close finish in the wheelchair half marathon and over 1,000 excited kids in the Junior Dash races was fantastic. "The Gold Coast Airport Marathon continues to get bigger and better every year and we look forward to another beautiful Gold Coast day tomorrow to cap off this record-breaking event. "It was pleasing to see today the increasing number of Gold Coasters taking part in a home-grown event which is now rated as a world-class race. "The ability of Gold Coast joggers to line up side-by-side with Olympians is a rare opportunity only the Gold Coast Airport Marathon can offer," he said. Tomorrow's program features the 42.195km Gold Coast Airport Marathon, ASICS Half Marathon, Queensland Health 5km Challenge and the Junior Dashes over 4km and 2km. RESULTS GOLD COAST, July 2 – Results from the Southern Cross University 10km Run today: GOLD COAST, July 2 – Results from the Wheelchair Half Marathon today: Quotes from Queensland Premier Anna Bligh MP after she competed in today's Southern Cross University 10km Run at the 2011 Gold Coast Airport Marathon. Her time was 1:03:08. "I'm glad it's over," she said smiling. "It's a great course. It's beautiful weather for running. There's a terrific atmosphere. "The last kilometre there was a head wind, but there were so many people out cheering you on. It's very encouraging, you just want to keep going," she said. On the health of the marathon in its 33rd year: "This is a record, just under 25,000. It's hard to believe it started with 690 runners. "I've done the half marathon several times. "My job makes it hard to train for these long races. The 10km is a good workout. "I love the Gold Coast race. It's something to aim for in the middle of winter, to get you out of bed. "I'd like to break the hour. I will come back next year," she said. END |
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Watch this page for the latest press releases regarding the Gold Coast Airport Marathon. Also, check out the live webcast which includes the marathon Twitter feed. |
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8:00am Gold Coast running star Michael Shelley produced a barnstorming run to win the Southern Cross University 10km Run in a near race record of 28:55. Today's win was his fifth over 10km on the Gold Coast and sixth overall (with a half marathon win in 2008). He now joins Pat Carroll as the most victorious runner in Gold Coast Airport Marathon history with six. Shelley was just outside the race record that he set last year (28:53). In second place was Matthew Bayley (Vic) in a personal best in 30:20 and Scott Westcott (NSW) was third in 30:34. |
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7:30am Queensland's Sam Carter was the first victor on Gold Coast Airport Marathon weekend with an upset win the wheelchair half marathon this morning |
