By Tayla Dillon

Local runner Reg Hogan will be helping others more than half his age reach their goals in his role as a Pat Carroll Online & Onland Pacer this weekend.

The 80-year-old from Broadbeach has participated in the Gold Coast Airport Marathon since the early 1990s, and this year he will be calling upon his course knowledge to assist runners aiming to achieve a finish time of 2 hours 20 minutes in the ASICS Half Marathon.

Pat Carroll Online & Onland Pacers assist participants realise their ambitions in the Gold Coast Airport Marathon, the ASICS Half Marathon and the Southern Cross University 10km Run.

Pacers are experienced runners who aim to maintain an even pace throughout the race in order to have runners finish slightly faster than their target time.

Preparing to pace to a specific finish time can be daunting however Reg said it had proved to be a very rewarding experience for him over the years.

“It is always very enjoyable after we finish, especially when someone comes up and says ‘thank you, I just ran a personal best’,” Reg said.

“It’s great to get together after we finish and swap stories on how the run went.”

Reg’s love for the Gold Coast Airport Marathon started at the age of 57 after two-time winner Laurie Adams encouraged him to pursue his love for running by competing in more events.

His interest in pacing then began about 10 years ago after a casual chat to Pat Carroll, and he has since completed over 10 half marathons as a pacer.

“I got back in contact with Pat soon after our initial chat and asked if I could pace for the upcoming ASICS Half Marathon,” Reg said.

“Pat said ‘yes’ and here we are all these years later and I am about to pace again. Good times!”

Gold Coast Airport Marathon entries close Friday 1 July 2016 (8pm QLD).