Boosted by a rise in overseas entries, the 40th edition Gold Coast Marathon to be held on 30 June – 1 July is on course to break participation records, Minister for Tourism and Industry Development Kate Jones said today.

With less than nine weeks until the Gold Coast Marathon, entries are 28 percent up on the same time last year with all races on the program experiencing an increase.

The marquee race on the program is the 42.195km marathon with its entries tracking 39 percent up and on course to exceed the record field size of 6,216 from 2016.

Delighting event organisers is the continued increase in international (46 percent up) and interstate (17 percent up) participants.

Last year 24,902 people took part across all races at the Gold Coast Marathon with 3,244 from overseas and 7,023 from interstate.

“It is wonderful that runners and wheelchair athletes from around the world are embracing the 40^th edition of the Gold Coast Marathon with entries tracking well up on last year,” Minister for Tourism and Industry Development Kate Jones said.

“The appeal of the event reaching a milestone 40^th year along with the great reputation it has developed around the world have contributed to this significant early interest.

“What is particularly pleasing is the increase in numbers the Gold Coast Marathon is experiencing from key markets including New Zealand, South East Asia, Japan, Hong Kong, China and Taiwan, not to mention interstate.

“The Gold Coast Marathon will provide another significant boost to Queensland tourism and economy, continuing the momentum generated by the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.”

The 40th Gold Coast Marathon is on course to break participation records boosted by a rise in overseas entries

Events Management Queensland CEO Cameron Hart said he was confident the Gold Coast Marathon will continue to grow in numbers and prestige for this year’s special 40^th edition event.

“It is the fifth year as an IAAF (International Association of Athletic Federations) Gold Label race which reaffirms the Gold Coast Marathon as one of the top tier marathons in the world,” Events Management Queensland CEO Cameron Hart said.

“There is a real sense of excitement and buzz for events on the Gold Coast especially after the success of the recent Commonwealth Games, and there is certainly no better way to experience the destination than by running it.”

The 40^th edition Gold Coast Marathon will feature eight races including the Gold Coast Marathon, Wheelchair Marathon, ASICS Half Marathon, Wheelchair 15km, Southern Cross University 10km Run, Gold Coast Airport Fun Run, Garmin 4km Junior Dash and Garmin 2km Junior Dash.

The Gold Coast Marathon is organised by Events Management Queensland, a major event management company wholly owned by the Queensland Government as part of Tourism and Events Queensland.