Press Release - Gold Coast Airport Marathon - 6/17/14

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

       Australian Marathon Champion to be Crowned on The Gold Coast 

A male and female Australian marathon champion, along with a state or 
territory based teams champion will be crowned in less than three weeks 
time when the nation's best marathoners go head-to-head at the Australian 
Marathon Championships as part of the 2014 Gold Coast Airport Marathon on 
Sunday 6 July. 

The Australian Marathon Championships is set to ignite a friendly rivalry 
between states and territories as each team vie for the title of Australian 
marathon champion on one of the flattest and fastest courses in the 
country. 

For the first time in the championship's history, the race will be 
contested on an International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) 
Road Race Gold Label course prompting one of the most exciting elite fields 
to toe the start line. 

Victoria are the early favourites to claim back the men's teams based 
championship off Queensland with the team strengthened by a selection of 
potential race winners led by the experience of racing legend Lee Troop who 
will be aiming to finish his competitive Australian marathon career on a 
high note. 

Troop last won the championship in 2006, which was ironically the last time 
the Gold Coast Airport Marathon hosted the Australia Marathon 
Championships, and he hopes to contribute crucial points to a state 
victory. His experience will be matched by the current form of fellow 
statesmen John Dutton and Stephen Dinneen who boast personal bests of 
2:25:35 and 2:27:33 respectively. 

Dutton is coming off the back of a win at the 2014 Great Ocean Road 23km 
and an 86th place at Lake Biwa Marathon in Japan where he recorded his 
personal best. While 34-year-old Dinneen notched his personal best on debut 
at this year's Houston Marathon and will head to the Gold Coast full of 
confidence after placing sixth in the ASICS Half Marathon last year with 
1:05:51. 

However, the race experience of Gold Coast Airport Marathon veteran and 
two-time and defending IAAF Oceania Area Marathon Champion Rowan Walker 
will place the nation's capital in contention. The 44-year-old Australian 
Capital Territory representative recorded a personal best of 2:18:01 four 
years ago and will be a hot favourite to land a podium finish this July. 

The men's field also includes New South Welshman Vlad Shatrov who placed a 
notable 22nd at the 2014 Paris Marathon in 2:25:46. Shatrov is eyeing off 
an opportunity to lower his personal best of 2:21:04 and run sub-2:20 on 
the Gold Coast. 

His Queensland rival, Alastair Stevenson, is currently training with event 
ambassador and Australian female marathon record holder Benita Willis and 
is also aiming for a mid-2:20 finish. The Ipswich local will arrive on the 
Gold Coast with a 14km Brisbane City2South victory under his belt as well 
as a second place and personal best of 2:33:46 recorded on debut at the 
2014 Cadbury Marathon in Tasmania. 

The women's race will be led by favourite Jane Fardell from New South Wales 
who boasts a quick 2:37:35 personal best recorded at the Paris Marathon 
last year. The 34-year-old was the 15th female to cross the line at this 
year's Hamburg Marathon and is confident she can lower her time of 
2:45:51on the Gold Coast this July. 

Fardell will be tested by the unknown when Victorian Tarli Bird makes her 
marathon debut. The 27-year-old has burst on to the Australian athletics 
scene and has the potential to cause an upset on race day having recorded a 
solid half marathon personal best of 1:14:44 last year and a new 5000m 
personal best of 17:40.77 in April.

Queenslander Aarthi Venkatesan who has a marathon personal best of 2:51:47 
recorded last year and Western Australian Nera Jerab who claimed her 
marathon personal best of 2:50:17 two years ago round off the women's elite 
field. 

Events Management Queensland CEO Cameron Hart said the Australian Marathon 
Championships is an exciting addition to this year's race program and 
reiterated how the Gold Coast Airport Marathon is committed to encouraging 
and supporting distance running in Australia.  

"We're thrilled to have attracted a high quality field of Australian elite 
marathoners from all states and territories who will race on one of the 
fastest and flattest courses in the country," said Mr Hart. 

"The calibre of the elites vying for the national title is exciting and we 
believe there is a real potential for these marathoners to post personal 
best times or even Australian race records. 

"The championship will also give the spectators the opportunity to display 
their state colours with pride and ignite the state vs state argument 
prevalent within all sporting codes."

The Gold Coast Airport Marathon will be held on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 
July in one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world in 
Queensland, Australia.

It is set to attract more than 30,000 participants of all ages and 
abilities across a number of events including the Gold Coast Airport 
Marathon, Wheelchair Marathon, ASICS Half Marathon, Wheelchair 15km, 
Southern Cross University 10km Run, Suncorp Bank 5.7km Challenge and Junior 
Dash 4km & 2km races.

For more information visit goldcoastmarathon.com.au.

Australian Marathon Championship teams 

Victoria 

Men
Lee Troop 
John Dutton 
Stephen Dinneen 
Cameron Simon 

Women
Tarli Bird
Rachel Spencer
Sarah Martin

New South Wales 

Men
Vlad Shatrov 
Nicholas Bellemore
Victor Correa
Ray Wareham 

Women
Jane Fardell
Tracy Clinch
Melanie McDonald
Suzanne Harrington

Australian Capital Territory 

Men
Rowan Walker 
Stephen Connor

Western Australia 

Men
Paul Mackay 
Gareth Mumby 
Steve McKean 

Women
Nera Jerab
Jennifer O'Brien

Tasmania 

Men
Brian Lyons
David O'Brien 
Jay Gordon
Mike Soden
Mark Leis 

Women
Jemina Stuart-Smith 
Naomi Balmer
Jenny Gillard
Ruth Wilson

Queensland

Men
Clay Dawson
Alastair Stevenson
Scott Brittain
Paul Jackson
Mathew Skate 
Paul Tucker 

Women
Aarthi Venkatesan
Angela Adamson
Kym Jaenke
Jodie Oborne
Harriet Smith
Erin Wallace

South Australia 

Men
Adam Bishop
Michael Cocks
Matt Evans
Timothy Horton 
John Csongei 

Women
Stephanie Gaskell
Lisa Davis
Karen Sawyer
Megan Inge

Northern Territory 

Men
Jeffrey Gray 

Women
Emma Kraft

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