The planets are aligning for this Sunday’s Gold Coast Airport Marathon (7 July) to attract unprecedented international attention.

Teetering race records, the best-credentialed field ever of elite runners, the prestigious IAAF Road Race Bronze Label for the race and a fast, flat course are all expected to combine to grab the international spotlight.

Entries across all events for this weekend’s marathon carnival (6-7 July) close at 8pm on Friday night (5 July).

The Marathon organisers are thrilled with the quality of the elite runners for this event. Joining last year’s men’s second-placed runner – Kenya’s Robert Mwangi – will be four athletes who all boast sub-2hrs 10mins for a marathon.

This time is significant. While the Gold Coast course is considered one of the fastest internationally, no runner has ever broken the 2:10 barrier here, with the record set in 2011 by Kenya’s Nicholas Manza at 2:10:01.

That mark will come under heavy fire on Sunday. Mwangi is returning with the sole aim to lower his 2:10:04 PB by more than four seconds and go one better in 2013, which would hand him the $15,000 winner’s cheque, plus an extra $5,000 for breaking the race record.

In his way are four runners who have already beaten that mark by at least one minute.

Men’s race favourite is Kenya’s Jairus Chanchima, who set a sizzling PB of 2:07:43 when placing seventh in the Seoul Marathon last year.

Chanchima has the form and the intent to etch the Gold Coast Airport Marathon even deeper into the international athletics landscape.

He not only wants to win the race, break the course record, but to also run the fastest marathon time ever in this country, a mark set by the legendary Robert de Castella of 2:09:18 at the Brisbane Commonwealth Games way back in 1982. If he achieves this he will pocket a bonus $20,000.

What makes that a definite possibility on Sunday is the quality of runners surrounding Chanchima.

These include Ethiopian Girmay Birhanu Gebru who has a PB of 2:08:11 and has already run two sub-2:10s this year – 2:08:11 when second in the Rome Marathon and 2:09:48 in the Dubai Marathon.

Another runner in hot form is Japan’s top hope Yuki Kawauchi, who ran a PB of 2:08:14 in Seoul this year. He was fourth in the Gold Coast race last year and holds the course record for the Sydney Marathon.

The fourth sub-2:10 runner in the field is Kenya’s Samson Barmao, who also is running hot. He was sixth in this year’s Rome Marathon in 2:09:47 and has a PB of 2:08:52.

The added interest to the 2013 Gold Coast Airport Marathon is that it is also the host of a series of championships including the IAAF Oceania Area Marathon Championships. A hot contender for this will be New Zealand’s Aaron Pulford who will be making his marathon debut, but has an impressive half marathon PB of 1:06:01.

One of the most vulnerable, but also longest-standing marks expected to fall this weekend is the women’s marathon record of 2:29:29 set in 1993 by Japan’s Erico Asai.

Just like the men’s race there are a host of runners with a form line to better this time.

The leading contender is Japan’s Yukiko Akaba, 33, whose PB is well below the race record at 2:24:09. She has a host of top marathon results on her CV including a third in this year’s London Marathon in 2:24:43.

Countrywoman Eri Okubo has a PB of 2:26:08, which was set last year in her home city of Tokyo.

A number of African runners have nominated. Among these are the 2011 Gold Coast winner, Ethiopia’s Goitetom Tesema, who clocked a 2:30:08 back then, but in the same year ran a PB of 2:26:21.

Kenyan Alice Ngerechi is another with a sub-record PB of 2:26:26. She has her goal as a strong comeback on the Gold Coast after starting a family.

One of the most inspirational stories from this weekend’s racing could come out of the women’s marathon via Kiwi entrant Sally Gibbs.

The photo-journalist ran her marathon PB (2:41:15) on the Gold Coast last year and her half marathon PB (1:17:03) in Christchurch this year.

Obviously she is getting faster, however Gibbs is 50 years old. She took up running just five years ago and since has made up remarkable ground and has had considerable success across distances from 800m to marathon, not only in masters age groups, but against all-comers.

She will be one of the hot contenders for the Oceania Area title against the likes of New Zealanders Alexandra Williams (PB 2:41:29) and Lisa Robertson (PB 2:41:56) and Aussies Anita Keem (PB 2:42:42), Kirsten Molloy (PB 2:43:43) and Cassandra Fien (debut).

Giving the Gold Coast Airport Marathon even more kudos this year is that it has been granted an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Road Race Bronze Medal – becoming the first Australian marathon to attain this prestigious international ranking.

Other championships being contested this weekend are:

Australian Half Marathon Championships (sponsored by Gold Coast Airport), Queensland Marathon Championships, Australian Defence Marathon Championships, Australian Masters Athletics Marathon Championships, Queensland Masters Athletics Marathon Championships, Australian Open Running Club Championships and the Australian University Sport Distance Running Championships.

Leading Chances – Men

Jairus Chanchima

Race number:  1

Age: 28

Home country: Kenya

Marathon PB: 2:07:43 Seoul, Korea, 2012

Girmay Birhanu Gebru

Race Number: 2

Age: 26

Home Country: Ethiopia

Marathon PB: 2:08:11 Rome, Italy, 2013

Yuki Kawauchi

Race Number: 3

Age: 26

Home Country: Japan

Marathon PB: 2:08:14

Samson Barmao

Race Number: 4

Age: 31

Home Country: Kenya

Marathon PB:  2:08:52

Robert Mwangi

Race Number: 5

Age: 26

Home Country: Kenya

Marathon PB:  2:10:04

Edwin Kiprop Korir

Race Number: 6

Age: 24

Home Country: Kenya

Marathon PB:  2:10:26 Zurich, Switzerland, 2013

Taiga Ito

Race Number:  7

Age:  26

Home Country: Japan

Marathon PB:  2:11:15 Japan 2013

Kensuke Takahashi

Race Number:  8

Age:  35

Home Country:  Japan

Marathon PB:  2:11:25 Tokyo, Japan, 2009

Jacob Mwema Wanjuki

Race Number:  9

Age:  27

Home Country: Kenya

Marathon PB: Debut

Leading Chances – Women

Yukiko Akaba

Race Number: 51

Age: 33

Home Country: Japan

Marathon PB:  2:24:09 London, UK, 2011

Asnakech Mengistu Egigayehu

Race Number: 52

Age:  27

Home Country: Ethiopia

Marathon PB:  2:25:50 Milan, Italy, 2010

Eri Okubo

Race Number: 53

Age: 30

Home Country:  Tokyo, Japan

Marathon PB:  2:26:08 Tokyo, Japan, 2012

Goitetom Tesema

Race Number: 55

Age:  25

Home Country: Ethiopia

Marathon PB:  2:26:21 Rome, Italy, 2011

Alice Ngerechi

Race Number: 56

Age:  36

Home Country: Kenya

Marathon PB: 2:26:36 Milan, Italy, 2001

Alevtina Ivanova

Race Number:  57

Age:  38

Home Country: Russia

Marathon PB:  2:26:38 Nagoya, Japan, 2008

Hellen Mugo

Race Number:  58

Age:  27

Home Country: Kenya

Marathon PB:  2:27:16 Carpi, Italy, 2010

Sally Gibbs

Race Number:  60

Age:  50

Home Country: New Zealand

Marathon PB:  2:41:15 Gold Coast, 2012

Cassandra Fien

Race Number:  68

Age:  27

Home City: Sydney, NSW

Marathon PB:  Debut

Race Records

Male

2:10:01 Nicholas Manza KEN 2011

Female

2:29:29 Erico Asai JPN 1993

The Gold Coast Airport Marathon is a major highlight on Queensland’s event calendar, attracting people from more than 30 countries and showcasing the Gold Coast as a premier sporting event destination.

This year’s race program will feature the full 42.195km Gold Coast Airport Marathon, ASICS Half Marathon, Southern Cross University 10km Run, Suncorp Bank  5.7km Challenge and 4km and 2km Junior Dash races.

Runners and walkers also have the opportunity to dedicate their run and raise funds for the official charity Cancer Council Queensland or for a charity of their choice.

For more information, or to enter, visit www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au.