The 35th annual Gold Coast Airport Marathon was last night named the QSport 2013 Queensland Sport Event at the Queensland Sport Awards in Brisbane.

The win confirms the event’s status as an international standard sporting event.

“This is a tribute to everyone who has helped build the event into Australia’s leading marathon over the past three and a half decades,” Events Management Queensland General Manager Cameron Hart said today.

“That includes the Surfers Paradise Rotary Club originators back in 1979 and the tens of thousands of people who have worked or volunteered since to make the Gold Coast Airport Marathon the top class race weekend and event showpiece that it is today,” he said.

The Marathon was successful against finalists the calibre of the Queensland Open Golf Championship, State of Origin 2, the British and Irish Lions v Wallabies Rugby Union Test and the National Taekwondo Championships.

Events Management Queensland Director and Gold Coast sports matriarch Daphne Pirie was also recognised on the evening by induction into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame.

The Gold Coast Airport Marathon is a Queensland Tourism Awards Hall of Famer and earlier this year took out the Spirit of the Gold Coast gong at the Gold Coast Media Awards.

It has also been granted a prestigious IAAF Bronze Label – the first Australian marathon to achieve such a distinction.

“We’re already well down the track with the planning of our 5-6 July 2014 event and we look forward to building once again on the Gold Coast Airport Marathon’s great national and international reputation,” Mr Hart said.

“Our completely new website goldcoastmarathon.com.au will be launched later this month, something that will really help generate a lot of excitement for next year’s event,” he said.