Olympics link draws big guns

THE 2019 Gold Coast Marathon is on track to be the biggest so far, as serious athletes take advantage of the event as a qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The marathon and half marathon have doubled as Oceania Championship events since 2008, but a change to the points rating system will see participants earn extra points towards qualifying for Tokyo, which is expected to lure more serious athletes this year.

Organisers predict more than 28,000 people will take part across eight races on July 6-7, up from 27,000 recorded in 2018.

The course was widened this year allowing for extra competitors.

This year a lot of the interest has come from overseas, with record entry numbers coming from Singapore and Indonesia. Organisers told the Bulletin they were continuing to see “strong” numbers across all events.

“Over a two-year period, marathon numbers are up 12 per cent and (are) continuing to grow each day, with marathon entries on par with last year’s sellout event,” a spokeswoman said.

“This is an excellent achievement as last year was a significant one in event history (because of) the 40th anniversary of the marathon and the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.”

The event, which pumps $28 million into the local economy, is also luring visitors to the Coast for longer holidays.

The 2019 event will feature the Gold Coast Marathon, Wheelchair Marathon, ASICS Half Marathon, Wheelchair 15km, Southern Cross University 10km Run, Gold Coast Airport Fun Run, and Garmin 4km and 2km Junior Dash.