The rain and the less-than-perfect race conditions didn’t stop the Gold Coast Marathon’s 41st parade, with 26,287 entrants across all the categories and out of these, 6,700 runners taking part in the Full Marathon category. 

As well, there was also a flood of inspiring performances from the elite runners participating, including a new course record.

The Men’s Gold Coast Marathon

In the Men’s Marathon, the biggest headline came when Japanese speedster Yuta Shitara smashed the Gold Coast Marathon record, taking out the IAAF Gold Label Race in 2:07:50 hours. He lowered the previous mark of Kenya’s Kenneth Mungara (2:08:42 hours) which was set in 2015.

Said Shirata, 27, “I am very happy. My training was great and I came here with confidence and that is why I was able to produce this result. I didn’t have any race plan. I just wanted to go in and run the the race that happened.”

Shitara had an exciting battle with Barnabus Kiptum from Kenya and Kiwi Zane Robertson over the final 12km before making his move with 2km left to go.

Said Shitata, “It was pretty easy until 30km. I kept it very smooth and comfortable. After the turnaround at 37km, I dropped back from the leaders but then luckily around 39km, they came back to me again. I just ran in my own rhythm and cruised on into the finish.”

This was the eighth win by Japanese men in the 41 year history of the race.

Said Shitara, “This is definitely a confidence booster and I have a lot of things to make me confident but this is a big win heading into the Japanese Olympic Trials.”

Shitara takes home $20,000 in prize money and an additional $10,000 time bonus for his record-breaking effort.

Second placed Kiptum, who won the Hong Kong Marathon in February, finished with a new personal best of 2:08:02 hours with third placed Robertson finishing in 2:08:19 hours.

Robertson’s time was a New Zealand record, lowering the previous mark of his brother Jake (2:08:56 hours).

Said Robertson, “I was pretty conservative at the start. We knew the wind would be tough and it was, but I kept the pacemakers in check running nothing about 3:03 minutes per kilometre pace, and 2:58 minutes per kilometre pace at the beginning.” 

He continued, “Then on the turn, we picked it up and around 28km – 32km, it started to get really hard again with the gusts swirling. Yuta is a world-class athlete who played the game and played it smart. He expected to win and came through just when we were beginning to die. We had nothing left to go with him.”

Women’s Gold Coast Marathon

And in the Women’s Marathon, Kenya’s Rodah Jepkorir held off a strong finishing burst from Australia’s Milly Clark to take out the Marathon in 2:27:56 hours, breaking away at the 30km mark. 

Said Jepkorir, “I had been struggling in the last 5km because of the wind. We were running against the wind. The weather at the beginning was also very windy. But apart from that, the Gold Coast Marathon is a good race and the course is so nice.”

After a last-minute surge, Clark came second in 2:28:08 seconds and Eritea’s Nazret Weldu rounded off the podium in 2:28:57 hours.

Jepkorir had been running in the lead pack from the beginning, passing through the 5km mark in Surfers Paradise in 17:12 minutes with the other two close behind. 

But by the time the runners reached the 30km mark, Jepkorir snuck a three-second break on Weldu and Clark was a further two minutes five seconds behind.

But that was when the Australian was beginning her blistering run home, with Clark still being in third place but just one minute 31 seconds behind the leader at the 35km aid station.

Said Jepkorir, “I was struggling in the last 5km because of the wind. We were running against the wind. The weather at the beginning was also very windy. But apart from that, the Gold Coast Marathon is a good race and the course is so nice.”

Clark had been comfortably in second place and 38 seconds from the lead at 40km. With her final finish time, she achieved her goal of wanting to enjoy the event, run a personal best (then 2:29:07) and do a time lower than the Tokyo Olympic qualifier (2:29:30).

Said Clark, “I had a lot of fun. There wasn’t a moment that I wasn’t loving it. I am just really stoked that I had the crowd and everyone around me cheering. Honestly, it was perfect and everything went the way that I wanted it to go.”

ASICS Half Marathon

And in the ASICS Half Marathon, Australian runners Jack Rayner and Sinead Diver defied the wet and blistery conditions to win the Men’s and Women’s categories respectively.

In doing so, the in-form duo further pressed their claims to represent Australia in the Marathon at next year’s Tokyo Olympic Games with their strong performances against quality opposition.

As well, both runners also secure a $6,000 winner’s purse for their efforts.

Men’s Category

In the Men’s category, Rayner had a tussle with Japan’s Yuto Sato and Yuma Hattori, making his winning break with 1km to go, and crossed the line in 1:02:30 hours, bettering his winning time from last year (1:03:12).

Said Rayner, “I’m ecstatic. I didn’t quite know what to expect going into it. There was a really strong field of Japanese this year. I had a race in Japan at the start of this year, so I knew how they ran.”

He added, “I was struggling a bit around 50 minutes into the race and I told myself to just keep on these two (Japanese) guys and try to make a move. I just had to stick it out and I would be able to finish off pretty strong.”

Sato placed second in 1:02:36 hours and Hattori came third in 1:02:39 hours.

Women’s Category

And in the women’s race, her win had been Diver’s first ASICS Half Marathon victory. She finished in 1:09:46 hours, which is also the fifth fastest performance in the history of the race.

She said, “Today was quite a tough race. I mean, the front was so strong. I think I got a break at 16km and I just kind of went for it from there.”

Diver was too strong for her rivals over the closing 5km, leading home an Aussie trifecta in the damp conditions.

Finishing second was Ellie Pashley in 1:09:51 hours and in third place had been course-record holder Lisa Weightman in 1:10:32 hours. Last year’s winner Sara Hall came fourth in 1:11:59 hours.

Said Diver, “To race against Ellie, Sara and Lisa, it was such a tough race and any one of us could have taken it out. This is my day today, so I was just lucky, I think.”

An emotional farewell for Events Management Queensland’s Kerry Watson

And the weekend’s events and festivities also marked an emotional occasion for the Chair of Gold Coast based company and the organisers of the annual Gold Coast Marathon, Events Management Queensland, Kerry Watson, who congratulated all winners and thanked the participants for this year’s Gold Coast Marathon events. 

This is because Watson has announced that this year’s race will be his final edition in the role.

Said Watson, “I congratulate all place-getters and championship winners. Your performances have inspired us and I hope to see you back in 2020.” 

And he continued, “And to all our valued sponsors and supporters, event staff, contractors, and 1,200-strong volunteer team, I acknowledge your continued commitment and contribution to this event. Without you, we could not deliver the Gold Coast Marathon to such high standards.”

Photos: Gold Coast Marathon