Atlas Events, organisers of the Sunshine Coast Marathon, welcomed this week’s announcement that the 2032 men’s and women’s Olympic and Paralympic marathon events will be held in the popular coastal region. “This week’s announcement that Brisbane will host the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games is incredible,” Atlas Events founder and managing director Jason Crowther said. “For the blue ribbon marathon event to be held here on the Sunshine Coast makes the occasion event great. As an athlete, local business owner and father of two young daughters, to have such a monumental and historic event in our backyard is something I’d never have imagined.”
As the event director of the existing annual Sunshine Coast Marathon, Mr Crowther has witnessed the popularity of the event grow significantly since it began in 2012. Thousands of runners across all distances (2km, 5km, 10km, 21.1km and 42.2km) have already registered to take part in this year’s event, scheduled for Sunday August 15. The Sunshine Coast Marathon starts and finishes on the beachfront at Alexandra Headland and takes runners on a multi-lap course along several beachfronts where they enjoy flat and fast conditions against an ocean backdrop. Mr Crowther said the organiser’s decision to hold the Games’ blue-ribbon event, which is traditionally scheduled on the final day of competition ahead of the closing ceremony, on the Sunshine Coast would pay dividends for the region.
“More than 50 per cent of our competitors return each year because it’s such an enjoyable event held at an iconic destination,” he said. “Runners bring their families, friends and running mates. Spectators line the course creating an electric atmosphere. Plus, it’s a course that’s renowned for producing fast times. “The Olympics is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to showcase everything we know and love about our region to a global audience.”
Gold Coast Commonwealth Games medallist Lisa Weightman, who is representing Australia in the women’s Marathon at her fourth Olympics in Tokyo this month, is one of several elites who regularly race at the Sunshine Coast event each year. She set a new Australian All-comers record half marathon time of 68:48 on the course in 2019. She said dreams will be realised in 2032 as the next generation of sporting star experienced a lifechanging moment. “Winning a silver medal for Australia on the Gold Coast at the Commonwealth Games with my family and friends supporting me was the greatest moment in my sporting career,” she said. “Sunshine Coast offers the full package. A fast course, a comfortable climate, and picturesque views in a beautiful part of the world. It’s a place that is dear to my heart and I couldn’t think of a better place to run an Olympic marathon.”
The Sunshine Coast has been identified as the location for the 2032 Men’s and Women’s Olympic and Paralympic Marathon events, cycling (road, time trials and Paralympic disciplines) and kiteboarding. The Sunshine Coast will also be home to four key Olympic venues and play an integral role in Brisbane 2032. Sunshine Coast Division 8 councillor Jason Opray, who ran the Sunshine Coast Marathon in 2017, said the course was spectacular with plenty of pre-event opportunities for athletes of all abilities to experience the region.
“The greatest thing about hosting the Olympic and Paralympic marathon events will be the prevent legacy,” he said. “In the 10 – 11-year block before we race, there will be meets where internationals will come and run to practice on the course. There will then be the athletes who come and get acclimatised in the lead up to the event. “It is exciting that in the lead up to 2032, south east Queensland will be hosting and array of sporting events including international meets.”
For media enquiries, interviews and photos please contact
Atlas Events Media Manager Sally Battin
[email protected]
