Eight-year-old’s incredible B2B time
He was just one of some 15,000 competitors, but little Conor Mathewson certainly stood out from the crowd after he managed to run what is believed to be one of the fastest recorded times for someone his age.
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AT JUST eight years old, one competitor in theSunday Mail Bridge to Brisbane stood out of the 15,000-strong crowd, dominating the 10km course in what is believed to be one of the fastest recorded times for someone his age.
The incredible Conor Mathewson ran alongside professional athletes and Olympians to finish the race in just 38 minutes and 45 seconds, earning him 213th place out of more than 15,000 runners. Of the 334 runners 13 and under, Conor finished second.
CHECK ALL BRIDGE TO BRISBANE RESULTS
The grade three student, who has his sights set on representing Australia in the Olympics one day, said he discovered his love for running early.
“I really realised I loved running after my first park run in Parkrun in Ipswich when I was five,” he said.
Conor’s dad Shane Mathewson was with his son every step of the way yesterday when they ran the Bridge to Brisbane for the second time together.
“We ran it last year in 45:50, but he’s (Conor) really found his legs this year,” Shane said.
“He’s been training nearly every day. I’m very proud of him, I’m always proud of him no matter what.”
Over 25,000 people from all over Australia packed into Brisbane’s CBD, some before the sun had risen, to tackle the 10km and 5km courses
The first racer to cross the finish line was Paralympian Richard Colman, followed by Brisbane local Jack Bruce and Olympian Madeline Hills who won the 10km race in the wheelchair, men’s and women’s divisions respectively.
Mr Bruce, who finished the race in 28 minutes and 41 second, recently returned to his hometown of Brisbane after attending college in the US on a running scholarship for the past five years.
“I’ve never done the Bridge to Brisbane because I’ve always been back in America by the time the race was on,” the 25-year-old said.
“I like the course and how they’ve set it up, you get to see a lot of Brisbane as you go.”
Two-time Olympic finalist Ms Hills won the women’s division with a time of 34 minutes and 53 seconds, despite recovering from double hamstring surgery.
“This was a really lovely opportunity to come and have a run and just improve on where I’m currently at,” she said.
Winner of the 5km women’s race Olga Firsova said she was surprised at how challenging the course was, after immigrating to Brisbane from the Czech Republic with her family just a month ago.
“For some reason I thought it was a very flat city, I discovered it’s not flat at all,” she said.
“I still compete for the Czech Republic but in two years I want to compete for Australia and I really believe I can bring a medal home for your guys.”
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