MARATHON MARVELS

A GROUP of Gold Coast runners have combined to set a marathon relay world record.

Maudsland’s Henri Coombs, 43, and 12 of the brightest running talents from around the city, along with one from Brisbane, finished the 42.2km feat in a stunning 2 hours 3 minutes and 39 seconds on Saturday at Highland Reserve Park, Upper Coomera.

The previous record, set in the United Arab Emirates in 2014, stood at 2:04.31.

Coombs said the group did loops around a 600m course, falling just short of the individual marathon world record, set by Kenya’s Dennis Kimetto at the 2014 Berlin Marathon.

“We ran laps each and passed the baton over after each one,” Coombs said as he waited to hear if Guinness World Records would officially recognise the record.

“We basically did 70 continuous laps between us.

“We all did between five to 10 laps each and would only do one at a time each because it was basically like a 600m sprint.”

The runners completed the record attempt to raise money for the Kokoda Youth Foundation in the lead-up to the Kokoda Challenge, a 96km endurance event to be held in the Gold Coast Hinterland on July 14-15.

Coombs and his companions started the marathon relay at 4.30am on Saturday, with Jack Cacciola, 12, the youngest participant in the record run.

The record comes just weeks before the city hosts the annual Gold Coast Airport Marathon.

Two-time Gold Coast marathon winner Kenneth Mungara, of Kenya, set the event’s record with a time of 2 hours, 8 minutes and 42 seconds in 2015. Danny Carson Henri Coombs Tom Brimlow Ali Cooke Craig Pendlebury Michael Cacciola Andrew Arkinstall Jordan McLennan Bladicus Rose Blake Hudson Callum Janetzki Saxon Rose Zac Cacciola Jack Cacciola 44 Ormeau

43 Maudsland

39 Ormeau

44 Upper Coomera 43 Brisbane

37 Coomera

33 Tamborine Mountain 21 Miami

16 Miami

15 Miami

15 Coomera

15 Miami

14 Coomera

12 Coomera ................................................ 2 hours 3 minutes 39 seconds ............................ 2 hours 2 minutes 57 seconds

.................. 2 hours 8 minutes 42 seconds

Record setters (back, from left) Ali Cooke, Henri Coombs, Tom Brimlow, Saxon Rose, Blake Hudson, Craig Pendlebury, Callum Janetzki, Jordan McLennan, Zac Cacciola, (front, from left) Michael Cacciola, Jack Cacciola, Bladicus Rose and Danny Carson. Teammate Andrew Arkinstall is absent.