Andrew Kolsteeg is one of the millions of Australians who volunteer each year. Andrew will not only volunteer at the Gold Coast Airport Marathon, he will be running!

By Jasmine Rolfe

Andrew Kolsteeg will certainly have a marathon weekend on 1 – 2 July!

The 41-year-old from Oxenford is not only volunteering at this year’s Gold Coast Airport Marathon he is taking part in the Southern Cross University 10km Run.

Andrew is one of the millions of volunteers around Australia who will be recognised through the staging of National Volunteer Week this week (8 to 14 May).

National Volunteer Week is a celebration of the generous contribution of volunteers in Australia and the Gold Coast Airport Marathon is an event that requires a huge volunteer effort.

Find out more on National Volunteer Week at volunteeringaustralia.org/nvw

Upwards of 1,500 volunteers will join forces on the first weekend of July to support more than 27,000 participants of all ages and abilities who will be lacing up their shoes and getting active at the Gold Coast Airport Marathon.

And for Andrew, he’ll be doing both on the same day.

“Last year I got to the precinct, got everyone and everything set up, and then took part for an hour,” Andrew said.

“I ran the 10km race, came back and finished another (volunteer) shift.

“I’ll probably combine the two again – it didn’t really worry me last year.”

Andrew has been a part of the Gold Coast Airport Marathon volunteer team since 2013 after breaking his leg but still wanting to be involved in the event.

He explained that while he enjoys running for fitness and to unwind, it’s the people that bring him back to the event each year.

“It sounds stupid but I get excited when the other competitors do a PB (personal best),” Andrew said.

“I just love seeing other people perform to the best of their ability and I sponge off their happiness you could say.”

According to Andrew, a day in the life of many Gold Coast Airport Marathon volunteers begins in the early hours of race morning while the participants are still in bed dreaming of crossing the finish line.

“On race weekend, I set my alarm for 3.30 in the morning – I’m dedicated,” he laughed.

“It’s freezing cold first thing in the morning but once the influx of people come and you get moving around, it’s just the biggest buzz.

“When I run, a lot of the other volunteers cheer me on and give me encouragement which pushes me to finish the race.” 

Supporting people, helping them to succeed and conquer their goals, whilst also having fun, are Andrew’s motivations.

After being inspired by the event and volunteer services team for the Gold Coast Airport Marathon, he now is considering a career change and enrolling in an event operations course.

And his passion for helping others doesn’t stop there, having previously raised funds for charities like Mates4Mates who support returning veterans.

To register as a volunteer for this year’s Gold Coast Airport Marathon, please click here.

27,000 runners will take part in the 2017 Gold Coast Airport Marathon.

The 39th annual Gold Coast Airport Marathon will be held on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 July.

Set to attract more than 27,000 participants of all ages and abilities, this year’s race program will feature the Gold Coast Airport Marathon over 42.2km, Wheelchair Marathon, ASICS Half Marathon, Wheelchair 15km, Southern Cross University 10km Run, The Star Gold Coast 5.7km Challenge, Zespri 4km Junior Dash and Zespri 2km Junior Dash.

For the fourth year, the Gold Coast Airport Marathon has been awarded an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Road Race Gold Label.

RUN #GCAM17 WITH Andrew