Tributes paid to running legend
A SPORTING stalwart who passed away in the early hours of yesterday has been remembered as a “fearless leader” who put his all into everything.
Ian Cornelius, well known throughout the Gold Coast community as a sporting enthusiast – with a particular love of marathon and ultramarathon running – passed away in a Philippines hospital aged 78.
It’s understood he died from blood complications after a sudden bout of pneumonia.
Son Stephen told the Bulletin that his father was a very positive and encouraging person who liked to set challenges all the time.
WE ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO MISS HIM AT THIS YEAR’S EVENT BUT HIS PRESENCE WILL VERY MUCH BE FELT
ULTRA TRAIL GOLD COAST AMBASSADOR KIERON DOUGLASS
“Everything he got involved in with, he got involved in elbows deep,” he said.
“He loved going game fishing, footy, he was very active in all types of sports, even squash. When he was game fishing he ended up going to the biggest game fishing competitions in the world, like in Hawaii … he represented the Perth Club.”
He said as a 50-year-old, his father had run a marathon in 3 hours and 1 minute – his personal best.
Mr Cornelius, nicknamed Corns, was born on King Island in the Bass Strait, living in Tumbarumba in NSW as a child before moving to Melbourne, where his children were born. The family then moved to Perth for a number of years before resettling on the Gold Coast in 1998.
He had worked as an events organiser and within a family business selling auto parts until 2002, when he retired.
He divided his time between the Gold Coast and the Philippines where his wife’s family live.
Mr Cornelius had also been a former president for the Australian Ultra Runners Association, where he oversaw a big increase in participation and quality runners, friend Kelvin Marshall said.
He was also behind a number of ultra-marathon events, including the Tamborine Trek and the Gold Coast 50 and 100.
His latest venture was his biggest – organising the southern hemisphere’s longest marathon, the 500km Ultra Trail Gold Coast, which will be held for the first time next month in the Nerang State Forest.
Fellow runners and ambassadors for the Ultra Trail, Sam Weir and Kieron Douglass, said he would be greatly missed.
“He’s basically the man who got me into ultra-marathons,” Mr Weir said.
“He took me under his wing in running. He was the bloke that I’d come to with a silly idea over coffee and he’d say, ‘yeah, you can do that’.”
Mr Douglass said his last conversation with Mr Cornelius was that he was “extremely proud and excited” for the 500km race.
“We are definitely going to miss him at this year’s event but his presence will very much be felt throughout the trails,” he said.
Shelley Coleman, who worked alongside Mr Cornelius co-ordinating Gold Coast races since 2014, said he was a “true gentleman in my books and I will miss him greatly”.
Runners from across Australia have left messages of condolences on the Ultra Marathon Gold Coast page.
A ceremony will be held in the Philippines as well as the Gold Coast at a later date.
He is survived by wife Cynthia, as well as his former wife Jackie, with whom he had three children, sons Warren and Stephen, and daughter Victoria.