Runaway Noosa Marathon saw stunning racing conditions and an avalanche of event records last weekend with seven of ten times set in the inaugural year, falling.
Australia’s marathon star Lisa Weightman lead the charge stripping more than 12 minutes of the previous best time Runaway Noosa 21km, with her second best ever half marathon, a stunning 1:10.04.
Noosa holds a special place in Lisa’s heart as it was the venue of her first ever half marathon back in 2000, where she came third, and the preferred training environment for her 2016 Rio Olympic and 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games preparations.
The multiple Olympian arrived on the Sunshine Coast with some genuine speed in her legs, only narrowly missing running a personal best (1:09.00) over the 21km.
“We set out in a nice little pack and were sharing the lead which was nice. I just wanted to see what sort of rhythm I could find. I ran a little bit quicker in the first half to get a good 10km hit out and I managed to do that,” Lisa said.
“The course is a lovely experience, a little crowded at times but it is great to see all the distances are mixed in and cheering each other along. It was
a great vibe.
“I am signed up for the Gold Coast half in a few weeks and then the Sydney Harbour 10km. I am enjoying the idea of joining in all the Australian races and being a part of the atmosphere. Then I will have to get serious and put in some marathon mileage to qualify for Tokyo.”
The new Runaway Noosa 21km record holder said she will definitely be back next year.
“I really love training here in Noosa and would really recommend it to anyone who wants to come up for a relaxing and energetic holiday,” she said.
Noosa triathlete Caleb Noble took out the honours in the men’s marathon setting a new mark of 2:31:32, while Brisbane’s Liz Grolimund’s race went to plan going sub three hours for the first time.
“It was really good. I went through the first half in 1:13 which put me on target for a PB. I got to the 35km mark and sort of hit the wall for a minute or two which sort of cost me but I came good towards the end so overall I was pretty happy. This course is awesome I run it every day so you get to know it really well,” Caleb said.Women’s marathon winner Liz Grolimund came up to Noosa with her training group Blood Sweat and Beers and they were all on a mission.
“I have been training with a group of people and we have all been aiming for sub three hours. So the plan was to sit with the sub three pacer for as long as possible and hopefully feel alright on the last lap. It pretty much went to plan so I am pretty happy with the run,” Liz said.
Brisbane’s Louis McAfee was pushed all the way in the men’s half marathon and the pressure helped him set a new course record.
“I rocked up to the start line thinking it might be a bit of a walk in the park but it certainly wasn’t. I had the guys on my heels for 21km and I was just trying to pull away and thankfully I finally did. It was a tough race but it was a really good course.”
Tewantin’s Chloe Mclennan defended her Runaway Noosa 5km title taking a massive 18 seconds of her time from 2018.
