A 16-year-old Sunshine Coast local is gearing up to run in the Chicago Marathon later this month.
Buderim resident Willem Curwood has only taken up competitive running relatively recently.
“I started running back in Victoria about two years ago with some friendly competition against one of my mates at parkrun,” Willem said.
“I kept doing it and started winning it. Slowly I took up the passion of running and haven’t looked back.”
Willem holds a number of national accolades.
“I won the Noosa under-18 half-marathon in 85 minutes, and recently won a Sunshine Coast Sports Next Gen Athlete Award,” he said.
Willem is excited to take up the challenge of running his first marathon.
“As the last week of training comes up, I am so keen to be at a world-class event running a course that holds the world record (set by Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum in 2023),” Willem said.
“Sixty thousand runners and over two million spectators will line up.
“It’s been a hard last 16-week training block coming into this race and I am so excited to jet off to Chicago.
“All around this year has been a huge year and just shows me that the sky’s the limit.”
Willem has some exciting future running aspirations after the marathon, with his sights set on Brisbane 2032.
“I am still very young but have my sights on completing all of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors (Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York) and leaning towards qualifying for the Boston Marathon,” he said.
“I have my long-term sights on competing in the 2032 Olympic Games in my home town.”
Willem is hoping to finish the race in three hours 15 minutes, and thanked his family and friends for their support.
“I would like to thank everyone for all the help over the last training block, from coaches to physios, friends and, finally, family of course,” he said.
The race starts at 10.35pm (Queensland time) on Sunday, October 13. People can track Willem Curwood’s live progress by downloading the marathon app and typing in “Willem Curwood”.
Kelsey Reid is a journalism intern with Sunshine Coast News.
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