The Gold Coast triumphed on the mass participation sporting stage on the  weekend with the return of the Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Marathon which drew 20,000 participants from all over Australia and around the world.

Whilst Saturday’s half marathon saw an almost all Australian field take to the men’s and women’s podiums, the crisp and clear conditions proved favourable for our international guests with a trio of international contenders taking out the men’s race and a US first timer to Australia powering home to take line honours in the women’s event.

Queensland Tourism and Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the return of the Gold Coast Marathon was a post-pandemic vote of confidence in the city’s recovery.

“The Gold Coast Marathon is a win for competitors and a victory for the Gold Coast’s visitor economy,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

“Few global destinations can match the Gold Coast’s location and ability to stage an international marathon event of this calibre.

“Significant events like the Gold Coast Marathon bring visitors who support local accommodation and hospitality providers, and tourism operators.

“That’s why the Queensland Government has backed the Gold Coast Marathon with a prominent place on our It’s Live! In Queensland events calendar.

“We’re looking forward to seeing the Gold Coast Marathon’s continued growth as a major sporting event and contributor to the Gold Coast’s visitor economy.”

Events Management Queensland CEO Cameron Hart said that the three years since the 2019 edition had been long and hard.

“[But] during that time we had all our sponsors and stakeholders remain behind us and support us so we could come back out swinging in a big way for this year’s race, and it hasn’t disappointed.

“The modified race program, starting the half marathon at 6:00am Saturday morning to allow us to stage the marathon at 6:00am on Sunday, has proven to be a real winner.

“It certainly added a new element to the event and provides an opportunity for us to get more people involved in future years by spreading those people over two days instead of cramming the half marathon and the marathon together on the Sunday.

“The feedback we’ve had from runners is that they’re so excited.

“They’re excited to be back participating in major mass participation sporting events rather than just watching spectator events.

“Getting people doing sport rather than watching sport has been really rewarding.

“But it’s not only athletes who are happy to be back. Coaches, physiotherapists, people from sports and athletics associations are just so pleased that the industry is really gearing up.

“Events like the Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Marathon are a major contributor to the domestic running industry, and we are so pleased to play a big part in it.

“Looking at the results over the weekend, having two international athletes win the men’s and women’s marathon events, is just fantastic for us.

“To have a Japanese man win the marathon is going to be great for us to rebuild the valuable Japanese tourism market in years to come and having an American woman take out the women’s marathon is going to help us build new inroads to promote our event to the highly valuable and important USA market,” he said.

Mr Hart said the way the Gold Coast community has supported the event has been absolutely fantastic.

“I think over the years people took the Gold Coast Marathon for granted and when we didn’t have it for three years people realised how much the city missed the event and now, this weekend, we’ve proven that it’s back and it’s such an important part of the city infrastructure and a marquee event for the city,” he said.

Events Management Queensland acknowledges and pays respect to the Kombumerri people of the Yugumbeh language region, the Saltwater People of the Gold Coast, as the traditional owners of the lands and waters upon which we invite and welcome participants from across the globe to experience our events.

People wanting further information on the 2022 Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Marathon events can visit www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au