By Dean Kelly

The Gold Coast Airport Marathon is held with great fondness by Sydneysider Tom Luxton who will return to this year’s event to relive memories whilst creating new ones.

The 27-year-old raced in last year’s 42.195 kilometre race and having now participated in 12 marathons, he has the utmost respect for Australia’s favourite holiday marathon.

“I ran the 2014 Gold Coast Airport Marathon and it was one of the best events I’ve been a part of,” he said.

“I entered the event this year to run it again with my friends, celebrate our achievements and hopefully some personal bests. I’m so excited about it I’d run it tomorrow if I could!”

This excitement is seen through a frequently-updated gallery of photos on Tom’s Instagram page (@tmluxton), with the images of his preparations being seen by almost 3000 followers.

Participants across all Gold Coast Airport Marathon races are also encouraged to share their race journeys on social media, using the hashtag #GCAM15.

Tom said sharing the marathon experience with friends participating for the first time was always going to be special, because as an experienced runner, he could draw comparisons with how he first started in the sport.

“Many of my friends are running their first marathon, and to be able to share their experience with everything, including the training, is great,” Tom said.

“I ran my first marathon in 2012, incredibly under-prepared and inexperienced and it wasn’t until 12 months later when I got the courage to try again I was able to improve on my time.”

Tom said his perseverance paid off and the buzz from completing the Gold Coast Airport Marathon was the ultimate satisfaction.

“Before that first marathon I had never run seriously or long distances before but I wanted to test myself and work towards a goal step by step,” he said.

“The feeling at the finish makes everything about it worthwhile.”

Tom has a clear mindset for what he wants to achieve this year, but he also maintains an attitude which sums up the Gold Coast Airport Marathon’s vibe.

“A lot of participants take on the marathon not to compete, but to complete,” Tom said.

“We all run our own race that weekend no matter the distance, so we all enjoy every moment and experience along the way, even the training.”

The Gold Coast Airport Marathon will be held on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 July in one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world in Queensland, Australia.

It is set to attract more than 27,000 participants of all ages and abilities across a number of events including the Gold Coast Airport Marathon, Wheelchair Marathon, ASICS Half Marathon, Wheelchair 15km, Southern Cross University 10km Run, Suncorp Bank 5.7km Challenge and Junior Dash 4km & 2km races.