A year on from the long-standing Australian all comers marathon record being broken on the Gold Coast, the mark was given a further trim by a former barber from Kenya at an age many consider to be past their prime for athletic pursuits.

His name is Kenneth Mungara. His age is 41. The event was the 37th annual Gold Coast Airport Marathon.

Mungara put the clippers through his rival countrymen over the final two kilometres to cut the finish tape in 2:08:42, shaving 32 seconds off the Australian all comers and race record and two seconds off his own Masters 40+ world record.

The Kenyan, who only took up marathon running in his early 30s and believes his best is still to come, beat last year’s race winner and previous all comers record holder Silah Limo by 12 seconds with Evans Ruto a further second behind in third.

Whilst Kenya stood one-two-three on the podium in the men’s marathon, it was Japan who provided first to fifth in the women’s 42.195km battle.

Risa Takenaka, 25, clocked the second fastest time ever at the Gold Coast Airport Marathon by a woman, crossing the line in 2:28:25. Takenaka finished over a minute ahead of Keiko Nogami (2:29:34) with Manami Kamitanida in third (2:33:43).

Bilambil Heights athlete Bill Chaffey took out the full distance Wheelchair Marathon title from two-time winner Richard Nicholson and local Gold Coast girl Sara Tait and Paul Ashley (NSW) in the Wheelchair 15km.

New South Wales speed machine Eloise Wellings made it three wins from her three starts over the half marathon distance when she was an emphatic winner of the ASICS Half Marathon.

Her win in 1:10:10 inflicted an Independence Day (American time) defeat on USA’s Sara Hall (1:10:49) while Queenslander Cassie Fien, who set a 17 second personal best with her time of 1:11:28, was third.

In the men’s race, Japan’s Takehiro Deki put daylight between himself and the rest of the field to win the ASICS Half Marathon in made to order running conditions.

The top ranked 25-year-old marathon specialist bettered his personal best time over the shorter distance by a minute, recording 1:02:11 to beat Victoria’s Liam Adams (1:03:29) by over a minute and the UK’s Ben Moreau (1:04:32) by over two minutes.

36-year-old London 2012 Olympic Games marathoner and two-time ASICS Half Marathon winner Martin Dent showed fine adaptation to the shorter distance to take the win in the Southern Cross University 10km Run (29:26).

After a two-man breakaway at the seven kilometre mark, Dent needed to produce something special over the final 300 metres to defeat New Zealander Malcolm Hicks, who finished just two seconds  behind in 29:28. New South Wales runner Jordan Gusman (29:59) was third.

The women’s race was won by Sydneysider Victoria Mitchell, who was a late entry into the event.

The 33-year-old Beijing Olympic and Melbourne Commonwealth Games 3000m steeplechase representative tamed the flat Gold Coast course in a time of 32:59, relegating Victorian 2014 Commonwealth Games marathoner Sarah Klein (33:15) and last year’s Southern Cross University 10km Run winner NSW’s Bridey Delaney (33:49) to the minor places.

Brisbane-based Ethiopian refugee Chekole Getenet showed the field a clean set of heels in the  4km Junior Dash. Getenet ran an attention-grabbing 12:39 to defeat local runner Lachlan Jones and Brisbane’s Jaxon Paterson-Wright by 30 and 39 seconds respectively.

And in a case of running déjà vu, the podium positions in the girl’s 4km Junior Dash were the same as last year. Carindale’s Katrina Robinson (13:28) took the spoils again ahead of Mackenzey Ormiston (14:11) from Tweed Heads and Cara Jardine from Samford Valley (14:17).

In the 2km Junior Dash, Max Hooper from Victoria Point won the boy’s race in 6:47 while Zillmere’s Caitlyn Morse was the victor in the girl’s race in 7:30.

More than 27,500 people took part in the 37th annual Gold Coast Airport Marathon, with organisers delighted with the community support, visitation from interstate and overseas and great and fast racing in what is an IAAF Road Race Gold Label event.