Sunshine Coast Marathon pacers help beginners reach personal best on new-look track

Australia Broadcast Center

4 days ago

More than 15,000 runners will take to a new-look Sunshine Coast Marathon course on Sunday in what organisers say will be a sneak peek into what the 2032 Olympics course could look like.
The course will have runners of all levels itching to give it a crack and potentially set a new personal best.
But, as always, there will be a collection of runners like Ian Chang, known as pacers, who put their own ambitions aside to help others have a better run.
"It was a natural calling after years of running," said Mr Chang, who has been a pacer for three years.
Dressed in yellow with a helium balloon and a designated time tied above their heads, pacers are experienced runners who help guide participants towards their goals.
Mr Chang, who will help runners aiming for a 4-hour 15-minute time, said he found it more rewarding after running marathons for five years.
"It's more enjoyable. To help a group of people achieve their goal brings me so much happiness."
Mr Chang said getting too excited was a common rookie error.
"It is easy for beginners to lose their focus," he said.
"Once the race starts, there are a lot of runners, and they tend to just follow someone because they're excited, and if they follow the wrong person — who is going too fast for their target — they will lose sight of the goal."
He said keeping an eye on the pacer with their goal time could avoid a lot of pain and heartache.
"Run with a pacer because what's the pacer's job? To make sure that you can cross the finish line easily," he said.
"That is what we try to convince the runner: always follow the plan and remember you're not alone."
The Sunshine Coast Marathon course was redesigned this year to feature a single-lap route taking in picturesque sights.
Runners will start at Alexandra Headland and run north to Mudjimba and back, which could form a blueprint for the Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic marathon course.
Event managing director Jason Crowther believed it was the best course for the city.
He said the 2032 course would not be confirmed by the International Olympic Committee until four years before the games, but he said the city would like to host world championship events.
"Then we can bring international athletes to the event and have it as a training run for when we do know where that 2032 course is going to be," he said.
It is estimated that the race weekend will generate about $10.5 million for the local economy, according to Visit Sunshine Coast.
Chief executive Matt Stoeckel said the event was a major boost to tourism during the winter months, with more than half of all participants coming from outside the region.
"Our hotel occupancy rate is 70 per cent this weekend and that's up more than 8 per cent year on year," he said.
"We sure hope it continues to grow in future years."