Records broken on Super Saturday at the ASICS Gold Coast Marathon

Bendigo’s Andy Buchanan and Canberran Leanne Pompeani scored famous victories in the China Airlines Half Marathon on Saturday morning on the Gold Coast.

Buchanan rewrote records from the 1990s and Pompeani continued to stamp herself as a standout performer on the Gold Coast. Across the other events on Super Saturday more records were broken and thousands of spectators lined the streets, ahead of the marathons on Sunday.

Buchanan produces the fastest half-marathon in Australia

In taking the men’s race for the second year in a row, Buchanan broke two enduring records. His sizzling 1:01:08 eclipsed Kenyan Benson Masya’s rusted on 1992 Gold Coast course record by eight seconds, while also smashing Pat Carroll’s infamous Australian all-comers record of 1:01:11 set in 1994.

As well as breaking records, the men’s race delivered a close and enthralling battle decided only in the shadows of the finish line with a blanket able to be thrown over the first three with only 10 seconds separating the first four.

With the lead pack of Japan’s Kenya Sonata and Naoya Sakuda and Australia’s Issac Heyne in his sights for most of the journey, Buchanan was happy to ride along until he made a big move two kilometres from the finish. The Japanese athletes weren’t giving up the win easily with just two seconds back to Sonata (1:01:10) and three ahead of Sakuda (1:01:11). Both were big personal bests for the experienced athletes.

Carroll was commentating the race and was happy to see his all-comers record be broken on the Gold Coast.

“My feeling is that the Gold Coast Marathon has largely been responsible for the life I live; I have had great success here and I'm greatly in debt to this event, so if the record had to fall, as it did today, I'm glad it was here,” Carroll said. When he set the time in Sydney in 1994 it was the sixth fastest time in the world that year.

Buchanan, 34, said it was always the plan to surge when he did but he wasn’t sure if the tactic would pay off until his  chest breasted the tape.

“You always think you can, but you never quite know you can until you test yourself,” Buchanan said.

“This was harder than last year and the move I made was harder.

“I knew what to expect but I was pretty tired, and I just kept telling myself how much cooler it is to win than finish second, third or fourth.

“I put it all out there and told myself not to have any regrets; I told myself just go all in and know it’s going to be so much sweeter if you can get the win,” he said.

Buchanan said the calibre of the field provided a measure of sorts.

“It’s great that we always have high quality Japanese runners in the race, it’s really cool, but for Isaac and me to perform like that today just goes to show where athletics is in Australia,” he said.

Sonata’s second place improved on his tenth placing last year, while Sakuda improved on his eighth from last year.

Heyne, 25, was also very close and impressive in fourth place [1:01:18]. The Adelaide runner looked likely to break away before Buchanan’s big move. He said he had a premonition of what was to come over the closing stages.

“I knew Andy was going to have a quick last kilometre, so I was just trying to go for it early,” Heyne said.

“The pace was hot at the start with Brett [Robinson] going out like a bull at a gate, but that probably took the running out of my legs to the back end of the race.

“Andy's a class runner and I spent too much early and didn't have it late; with 5 kilometres to go, I tried to wind it up, but it just wasn't quite enough. I couldn't shake him, and that's racing.

“The course is really good the crowds are fantastic here, the conditions are much better than last year and it's absolutely perfect,” he said.

In the women’s event Canberra’s Leanne Pompeani [1:09.14] paced her race perfectly to be not far off her fastest time for the distance and score a 72 second victory over South Australia’s Caitlin Adams [1:10:26 PB] and Japan’s Madoka Nakano (1:10:40 PB).

Pompeani said she did some rudimentary homework on her opposition to ensure back-to-back China Airlines Half Marathon wins.

“I looked at the start lists and their PBs before the start the of the race, and I saw they weren’t far behind mine, so I knew I had a race on my hands today - you never take your opposition for granted,” she said.

Running within a group of men for the entire journey, she said she took a cue in the middle of the journey.

“The kick at the halfway mark wasn’t planned before the race. But my breathing was under control, and I still had a bit in the legs.

“Thankfully, just at the right time, the pace picked up, the men decided to go, and I was ready, so I just went with them,” she said.

Second placegetter Adams smashed a minute from her personal best over the distance, but said it wasn’t easy.

“The last 5 kilometres was brutal, I was seeing stars, but I'm stoked with the result,” she said.

“My race plan was to not get sucked into the pace that the other girls were doing.

“I wanted to run my own race because often I get a little bit too excited, and in a half marathon, you can't really do that - you must keep it consistent, otherwise you really pay for it in the end.

“This is only my third half marathon, but it was a big goal of mine to do this event, being an ASICS athlete, and they're a major sponsor of this event.

“I have run a lot of the 10-kilometre races here, and I thought, I'm 27 it's about time that I step up,” she said.

Adams said she drew strength from the on-course support.

“I was very happy with the conditions today; it was super calm, no wind, just perfect and the crowd and atmosphere is amazing.

“That is what is so awesome about this event, there were oodles of people along the course, and you've got so many people cheering for you,” she said.

Triple Olympian Jessica Stenson was in contention for a half marathon podium through halfway, before running out of steam.

“I didn't end up having a great one today,” Stenson said.

“I was in the race until just before 14 kms and then I was feeling very empty, and I had to make the call at that point to push and potentially compromise my next little training block or just take it for what it was today and accept it.

“I'm very disappointed because I didn't sort of take that race mindset right to the finish.

“But my teammate, Caitlin, ran a massive PB and came second, Leanne won, she's also a teammate, so I'm very happy for them.

“I still really wanted to finish the race; people were so supportive out there.

“I've got to remember that sometimes it takes, you know, taking a risk and going for it, it not working out.

“Sometimes it's the shockers that teach you the most and help you to get to the next level.”