The 2021 Gold Coast Young Citizen of the Year Elijah Palmer is not one to let a challenge get in his way.

The 18-year-old recipient of the city’s top youth accolade, born with spina bifida, intellectual impairment, FASD and lower limb paralysis has entered the CPL 10km Wheelchair race at the Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Marathon on Sunday 3 July.

But he won’t entirely be wondering what he’s in for.

Elijah will take to the famous Gold Coast course in what will be his debut race in a fully-fledged racing wheelchair after completing shorter Gold Coast Marathon weekend events in previous years as a junior in a regular day chair.

Elijah’s coach Garth Plank from Mentor 4 Me, a leading Gold Coast disability support group, says his seemingly unstoppable young charge is ready to move up in distance and performance with his new chair and some serious training under his belt after a foot injury which temporarily disrupted his preparations.

And it seems Elijah is up for whatever his mentor throws at him at training.

“At the moment I hit the gym at Griffith University twice a week doing two road and two roller sessions as well as core strength work five days a week.

“This is my first 10km race and I picked this event as its local and a fast course.

“And I hope to finish the 10km in about 35-40 minutes,” he said.

Elijah Palmer and coach Garth Plank

The avid footy fan who likes shopping in his spare time counts Australian wheelchair racing legend and Gold Coast Wheelchair Marathon and Half Marathon record holder Kurt Fearnley amongst his idols.

And he’s also drawn more than a little inspiration from locally based Gold Coast 15km Women’s Wheelchair record holder Sara Tait, who is also a Paralympic triathlete.

“Ideally, I’d like to make it into an Australian team for either the Junior World Para-Athletics or the Melbourne 2026 Commonwealth Games, but the Paralympics is the main goal right now,” he said.

Elijah lives and breathes sport, which Garth, himself a former Australian representative junior athlete, says has shaped his identity as a winner.

“From a young age he tried out a variety of different sporting disciplines, including swimming as a student the Mudgeeraba State Special School,” Garth said.

“Elijah started training in his wheelchair, doing sprints with progression to longer distances, with his first public event, the 5km race at the 2014 Gold Coast Marathon, and here we are ready to line up in the 10km,” he said.

In recent years Elijah and Garth have tried dozens of strategies to work out what gloves to use and what techniques might best propel him fastest down the flat and fast Gold Coast course.

“I think we are ready to go, and I can’t wait for the starter’s gun to bang next month,” Elijah said.

The 2022 Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Marathon weekend will also feature the ASICS Half Marathon, Southern Cross University 10km Run, Gold Coast Airport 5km Run and the Health and Wellbeing Queensland 2km and 4km Junior Dashes.

The Gold Coast Double 63.3km event – contested by hardy runners competing in both Saturday’s half and Sunday’s full marathon – will also be contested.

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

The Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Marathon is organised by Events Management Queensland and is proudly supported by the Queensland Government, through Tourism and Events Queensland, and features on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar.

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.