Thousands of runners took to the streets of Noosa on Saturday 25 May for the fifth edition of the ASICS Runaway Noosa Marathon.
Runners from across Australia and around the world took part in the sell-out event, with more than 7000 registering in either the 5km, 10km, half marathon or marathon.
The flat, fast and friendly multi-lap course is set in the heart of Noosa, with the start and finish line just steps away from Hastings Street, with runners never far away from fellow participants and supporters, creating an incredible atmosphere.
Andrew Dey took victory in the men’s marathon in 2:31:10, almost four minutes clear of Craig Davis, with Dean Edmonds third.
“The race went really well, I paced it nicely early and just hung on, didn’t hit the wall which was good. There was two of us for a good 25km and then Dean dropped off and I kept pushing,” Dey said.
“There was really good support, the whole way up and down, it was nice to have the laps you get a lot of repeat cheering, I had the family out there cheering as well.”
The women’s marathon title was claimed by Imy Briscoe, who crossed the line in 2:51:53, with Brooke Williams second and Olivia Beck rounding out the podium.
“Last year I ran a marathon and got cramp in the last seven k and completely died so I was keen to pace it well today and I think I got quicker as the race went on, so I paced it well and I didn’t get into the lead until 10km to go,” Briscoe said.
“I had no idea that first was anywhere near me and then I saw the bike for the first female and realised that I could take first so I went past and was then just focusing on the finish.”
The victory was an important one for Briscoe, her first in an event like this.
“It was an amazing atmosphere, I was worried mentally about the multi-lap that it would be hard but every time you did a lap there was huge crowd cheers and an amazing atmosphere,” she said.
“I don’t think I’ve won a race ever, well since I was a child so to win my first race as an adult is an amazing feeling.”
The men’s half marathon was won by Noosa runner Alex Harvey, who covered the 21.1km in 1:07:03, just 14 seconds ahead of Kieren Perkins, with Tim Fisk third.
“I’m feeling good, I’m glad to get the win, I was saying before that I got second last year, I won the 10km a few years ago so I hadn’t quite won the half yet so that was my goal today,” Harvey said.
“I wanted a quicker time but in the end there was a few guys there so we were racing and racing comes before time.
“It felt hard a lot of the way, my PB is about four minutes quicker than that so I thought I should be running a lot faster and the splits just weren’t coming up so it got to probably 13, 14k and I just said let’s just stick with them and try and kick away at the end, it felt a lot harder, honestly I didn’t think I’d win with about 3k to go, Kieran tried to make a move and then I just held on to him and thought about giving up but ended up pushing away from him,” he said.
The Noosa local enjoyed being able to take part in the event on the roads that he trains on every day.
“I run pretty early so Noosa Parade is usually pretty quiet anyway but you don’t get to run down Gympie Terrace without traffic very often so that’s pretty special and it’s always such a nice morning with the sunrise coming up, it’s a beautiful place to run, that’s why I love living here, love training here, there are so many people out on the course that you see out running all the time cheering you on, it’s great,” he said.
Harvey had plenty of support out on course, including his wife and two young children.
“I’ve got my family, my two kids out here as well, they’re probably a bit young to understand, my wife has lugged them out of bed early, we’ve got a five-week-old and a three-year-old, kudos to her for getting them out and into a double pram, my job was a bit easier,” he said.
“Plenty of friends and family, there were non-stop cheers, that’s the best part about the looped course, your friends and family get to see you, four, six, even eight times if you’re doing the marathon, there’s nothing like that out there.”
Ella McCartney, winner of the 10km last year, was victorious in the women’s half marathon, breaking the tape in 1:16:44, over two minutes clear of Samantha Phillips, with Nerissa O’Donnell just behind in third.
“I’m really happy with the result, I didn’t get my time but I’m happy with the result given how I was feeling. It was good for the first few ks and then I went kind of bad for maybe 5k and then I had a gel and came back to life and the rest of it was really good,” McCartney said.
“The course was good, it was really fun with so many people out there cheering, everyone who doesn’t know anyone just yells at you, it’s great.”
Josh Shanahan won with men’s 10km, with Loretta Melcer winning the women’s 10km, while Brayden Everett and Mia Caple took out the men’s and women’s 5km respectively.
The ASICS Runaway Noosa Marathon sits alongside three incredible destination running events across Australia and New Zealand as part of the Runaway Marathon Series.
The Runaway Marathon Series also takes runners to Queenstown and Hawke’s Bay in New Zealand and Sydney in Australia, all destinations where natural beauty, world class running, local hospitality and food and wine options make for so much more than just another running event.
The Runaway Marathon Series rewards runners who complete any distance in all four events, making them Runaway MVPs.
Runaway Noosa welcomed 12 new MVPs, who have taken part in runs in both Australia and New Zealand.
Saturday’s new inductees included one runner who in the last month has completed half marathons in Sydney, Hawke’s Bay and now Noosa.
The Runaway Noosa Marathon is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland.
