Kieron Douglass running around his neighbourhood on the Redlands Coast, Queensland

Kieron Douglass, 35 from Redlands Coast in Queensland is a man of many talents! Horticulturalist, Mental Health Advocate, Cross Country Coach, Trail and Ultra marathon runner and an ASICS Australia “Sound Mind Sound Body” ambassador…just to name a few!

Kieron, whose first memory of running was at the age of four, had always been hesitant to run a road marathon as he wasn’t sure he had the “Road speed”. His background had always been in trail running and ultra-marathons. Kieron’s first Gold Coast Marathon attempt was back in 2018 “If I was going to run 42km I wanted to do it fast. I gave it a nudge and came away with 3:20 that year. I enjoyed it so much that I went back for more last year in 2019 and came away with 3:14.”

His second attempt in 2019 was also Kieron’s first year running the Gold Coast Marathon as an ambassador for ASICS “Sound Mind Sound Body” crew “Our team shares one major goal and that is inspiring and driving the community for a healthier and happier life in mind and in body.

We educate people on the importance of movement. Whether it be going for a walk, going to the gym, a run, a hike or whatever it is that not only helps you physically, but helping you mentally as well.”

Kieron was geared up to compete in the 2020 Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Marathon but after the large curveball of COVID- 19 hit the approach became a little different “Although it was a tough period for many including myself and still is for a lot of people down south. I actually enjoyed the downtime because it gave me the time to concentrate on myself and I managed to train everyday” He was able to find a positive amidst the global pandemic “ I feel refreshed, stronger than yesterday, running better, faster and fitter than I was before and most importantly, I was able to connect with my family on a higher level”.

Kieron Douglass from Redlands Coast (Left), Max Shearer and Kieron Douglass (Top right), ASICS SMSB crew (Bottom right)

The ASICS SMSB crew all lined up last weekend to run the Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Virtual Marathon but this one was especially significant for Kieron. He ran the ASICS Half Marathon with 16-year-old Max Shearer who he met back in 2015 at the Queensland Children’s Hospital. At the age of 10 Max was diagnosed with a rare type of Brain Cancer called “Ganglioglioma” and since then, has faced many challenges including three brain surgeries, twelve months of Chemotherapy and 50% loss of vision.

“Max and I have run a few 10km events together over the years, too which one of them Max ran whilst undergoing Chemotherapy and finished with a smile. This year Max will be running his first ever half marathon and I will be supporting him the whole way”.

With the amazing support of Kieron and his family and friends Max inspirationally finished his first Half Marathon in the time of 1.58 mins surpassing his goal time of 2 hours “Max is the strongest person I know” said Douglass.

Kieron now has his sights set on the 2021 Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Virtual Marathon and has some advice for anyone looking to run their first marathon “Set yourself small goals, don’t put pressure on yourself to keep up with or beat others. Running is meant to be fun… so keep it fun. Smile! If you feel like walking, walk. Just keep moving forward and before you know it you will be running down that last kilometre and then it’ll all be over. If you have a chance to do the Gold Coast Marathon in 2021, do! The atmosphere doesn’t get any better than the Gold Coast Marathon event”.

The Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Virtual Marathon is now entering its final week with race registrations closing Friday 31 July 2020. The virtual run offers six distances including the Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Virtual Marathon, ASICS Virtual Half Marathon, Southern Cross University Virtual 10km Run, Gold Coast Airport Virtual 5km Fun Run and the 4km and 2km Junior Dash.

For more information and to register, visit  goldcoastmarathon.com.au/virtual