Organisers praised after week of setbacks

GREAT Barrier Reef marathon ambassadors have praised event organisers for preparing the event despite massive downpours in the week preceding the event.

More than 200mm of rain fell in Port Douglas the week leading up to the races with several sections of the course flooded out.

But longtime ambassador Steve Moneghetti, who walked the 10km event due to a serious calf tear, said the conditions on the day and course were almost ideal for running.

“After the race last year I ended up in the medical tent,” Moneghetti said. “I really struggled with the humidity and it was boiling hot.

“This year it was much cooler for competitors.”

Moneghetti said one of the highlights of this year’s event was experienced runner Niklas Kroehn choosing to run his 100th marathon in the Far North.

“Now if that’s not an endorsement of the event I don’t know what is,” he said of Kroehn who won the major event.

“Also, in the women’s marathon Jenny Damon’s reaction was priceless. You could see she was so surprised. That’s a highlight of her life. That’s what running can do to you.”

Fellow ambassador and Olympian Jess Trengove used the half-marathon as part of her preparations for the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast next year.

“This marks the end of my relaxed phase,” Trengove said. “I’m really starting to ramp things up now. Next week I’ll have a look at the course (on the Gold Coast).”

Trengove’s brother, Jack, played for the Melbourne Demons in the AFL but was delisted at the end of this season.

But the midfielder’s sister said her brother was in the best shape of his life after suffering a horror run with injuries.

“His body’s healthy and he’s feeling fit. He’s loving having a body that feels good again.”