Runners from home and abroad took to the streets of Noosa for the fourth edition of the Runaway Noosa Marathon on Saturday.
More than 5500 participants made it the largest ever Runaway Noosa Marathon, with runners taking on 5km, 10km, half marathon and marathon events in the heart of Noosa.
Dave Ridley took out the men’s marathon race, crossing the line in 2:25:56, almost two minutes clear of Jamie Lacey, with Hugh Clancy finishing third.
In the women’s marathon the title was claimed by Roxanne Shahtahmasebi, edging out Jessica Willis by just over 30 seconds, with Nikki Curry closely behind in third.
Kieran Perkins made it back-to-back men’s titles in the half marathon, taking the win in 1:06:20, ahead of Alex Harvey and Jordan McLennan.
“We had great conditions out there today, you can’t get much better than this, it’s definitely one of my favourite races to do for the year,” Perkins said.
“The course is perfect, it’s flat most of the way and it’s a good time of the year to get yourself in shape for a marathon later in the year.”
Nerissa O’Donnell claimed victory in the women’s half marathon, completing the 21.1km course in 1:18:27, just ahead of local athlete Beth McKenzie, with Brooke Williams third.
“It was good out there, I really enjoyed it. I just tried to stay consistent the whole way and towards the end it was starting to hurt over those last few kilometres but it was awesome, good vibes,” O’Donnell said.
“The conditions were perfect, it was really cool this morning but once we got going you warmed up and it was crisp, clear, a little bit of wind but perfect running conditions.
“The whole course is lined with people, the whole way there are people cheering. It’s awesome having your name on your bib, people are yelling out for you – it kept you going. There were good vibes.”
Tommy Campbell came out on top in the men’s 10km race, finishing in 31:17, with Ella McCartney winning the women’s title in 35:20.
Standing on the top step of the men’s 5km podium was Harvey Cramb who covered the course in 14:52, with Olga Firsova the first female in 16:02.
For those who want to finish off their weekend in the water, Swim Noosa takes place on Sunday.
Held at Laguna Bay off Noosa Main Beach, it offers four ocean swims, including 500m, 1km, 2km and 3.8km swims, beginning from 7am.
Entries remain open for Swim Noosa. For more information and to enter visit runawaynoosamarathon.com.au.
The Runaway Noosa Marathon is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland and features on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar.
