Gold Coast Marathon 2021: Road and boat ramp closures
Roads and boat ramps will be closed from time to time during the upcoming Gold Coast Marathon weekend. DETAILS>>>
Local sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THE following roads and boat ramps will be closed for certain periods of the day during Gold Coast Marathon weekend on July 3-4, 2021.
ROAD CLOSURES
Saturday, July 3 - Paradise Point
The Esplanade: Donald Avenue to Falkinder Avenue, 3.30-9am.
Bayview Street: Falkinder Avenue to Matthew Flinders Drive, 3.30-9am.
Hollywell
Bayview Street: Matthew Flinders Drive to Holly Avenue, 3.30-9am.
Runaway Bay
Bayview Street: Holly Avenue to Lae Drive, 3.30-9am.
Lae Drive: Bayview Street to Morala Avenue, 3.30-9am.
Bayview Street: Lae Drive to Jennifer Avenue, 3.30-9am.
Bayview Street: Jennifer Avenue to Ocean Street, 3.30-9am.
Biggera Waters
Marine Parade: Ocean Street to Brisbane Road, 3.30-9am.
Labrador
Brisbane Road: Turpin Road to Marine Parade (eastbound lanes), 3.30-11am.
Marine Parade: Brisbane Rd to Broad Street, 3.30-9am.
Frank Street: Road open but changed traffic conditions apply.
Marine Parade: Broad Street to Frank Street, 3.30-11.30am.
Southport
Marine Parade: Frank Street to North Street, 3.30am-noon.
North Street: High Street to Gold Coast Highway (eastbound lanes) 3.30am-noon.
Marine Parade: North Street to Ada Bell Way, 3.30am-noon.
Sunday, July 4 - Runaway Bay
Bayview Street: Jennifer Avenue to Ocean Street, 3.30am-12.30pm.
Biggera Waters
Marine Parade: Ocean Street to Brisbane Road, 3.30am-12:30pm.
Labrador
Brisbane Road: Turpin Road to Marine Parade (eastbound lanes), 3.30am-12.30pm.
Marine Parade: Brisbane Road to Broad Street, 3.30am-12:30pm.
Frank Street, 3.30am-12.30pm.
Marine Parade: Broad Street to Frank Street, 3.30am-12:45pm.
Southport
Marine Parade: Frank Street to North Street, 3.30am-1pm.
North Street: High Street to Gold Coast Highway (eastbound lanes), 3.30am-1pm.
Marine Parade: North Street to Ada Bell Way, 3.30am-1pm.
Gold Coast Highway: Ada Bell Way to Waterways Drive (southbound lanes), 3.30-11.30am.
Queen Street: Scarborough Street to Gold Coast Highway (eastbound lanes), 5.30-7.30am.
Southport Bridge: FULL CLOSURE.
Gold Coast Highway: Ada Bell Way to Tedder Avenue, 5.30-7.30am.
Main Beach
Waterways Drive: Gold Coast Highway to MacArthur Parade, 3.30-11.30am.
Main Beach Parade: Waterways Drive to MacArthur Parade, 3.30-11.30am.
Main Beach Parade: MacArthur Parade to Ferny Avenue, 3.30-11.30am.
Surfers Paradise
Esplanade: Ferny Avenue to Clifford Street, 3.30-11am.
Northcliffe Terrace: Clifford Street to Fern Street, 3.30-10.45am.
Old Burleigh Road: Fern Street to First Avenue, 3.30-10.30am.
Broadbeach
Broadbeach Boulevard: First Avenue to Queensland Avenue, 3.30-10.30am.
Old Burleigh Road: Queensland Avenue to Alexandra Avenue, 3.30-10.30am.
Mermaid Beach
Hedges Avenue: Alexandra Avenue to Seashell Avenue, 3.30-10am.
Albatross Avenue: Seashell Avenue to Chairlift Avenue, 3.30-10am.
Miami
Marine Parade: Chairlift Avenue to Hythe Street, 3.30-10am.
Hythe Street, 3.30-9.30am.
Gold Coast Highway: Hythe Street to Kratzmann Avenue, 3.30-9.30am. Road open but changed traffic conditions apply.
Burleigh Heads
Kelly Ave, 3.30-9.30am.Kratzmann Ave, 3.30-9.30am.The Esplanade: Kelly Avenue to Gold Coast Highway, 3.30-9.30am.
BOAT RAMPS
Saturday, July 3 - Labrador boat ramp, 3.30-9.30am.
Loders Creek boat ramp, 3.30am-noon.
Mitchell Park boat ramp, 3.30am-noon.
Sunday, July 4 - Waterways Drive boat ramp, 3.30-11.30am.
Ocean Street (Land’s End Bridge), 3.30am-12.30pm.
Labrador boat ramp, 3.30am-1pm.
Loders Creek boat ramp, 3.30am-1pm.
Mitchell Park boat ramp, 3.30am-1pm.
TRAVEL TIPS
If you live in affected suburbs or need to access these suburbs during marathon weekend, please consider these travel tips
● Add additional time to your journey in anticipation of delays.
● Due to this event, traffic in Southport and surrounding suburbs will be heavily congested.
● Use either Benowa or Currumburra roads when travelling north and south.
● Use High Street and Scarborough Street to access parking in Southport.
● Use Olsen Avenue and Oxley Drive to enter/exit Labrador, Runaway Bay and Paradise Point.
● Avoid travelling along the Gold Coast Highway between Southport and Mermaid Beach as heavy traffic delays are expected 7am-noon on Sunday, July 4.
● Use Tedder Avenue as the main thoroughfare to get to The Spit on July 4, as it will be under police direction.
● If coming from Brisbane or the north along the Pacific Motorway (M1), use Nerang-Broadbeach Road to access Surfers Paradise or any suburbs further south.
● Access across the course will be permitted under the direction of traffic controllers and police when deemed safe. There will be periods when the number of runners using the road restricts access.
TOW AWAY ZONES
Parking restrictions will apply on the course and vehicles will be towed at the owner’s expense. Refer to event signage for these locations.Also, the Broadwater Parklands car park (Gold Coast Aquatic Centre car park) in Southport will be fully closed from 5am Monday, June 21, to 5pm Thursday, July 8.
What the Gold Coast marathon tells us about COVID
GOLD Coast’s road to COVID recovery evidently starts with a 42km stretch of pavement.
The 2021 Gold Coast Marathon will signal a grant return of mass participation events, with more than 20,000 entrants from every state and territory in Australia to take part from July 3-4.
In a remarkable recovery since the cancellation of the 2020 edition, the 42-year-old event will boast its largest ever Australian field of marathon runners – 5200 entrants, with more than 50 per cent coming from interstate for the 42km trek from Burleigh to Paradise Point to Southport.
Destination Gold Coast and Events Management Queensland chairman Paul Donovan hailed the impending event.
“We will certainly miss our international friends this year but we are looking forward to welcoming everyone, with more participants from interstate than in 2019,” he said.
“The event this year will be a huge boost for our tourism and hospitality industry with the estimated economic impact in the vicinity of $25 million and many accommodation providers booked out over the marathon weekend.”
Events Management Queensland CEO Cameron Hart said the support from the Australian running fraternity has been great and final preparations to implement a COVID-safe event were underway.
“This year we have moved the ASICS Half Marathon from the Sunday to the Saturday to spread our crowd more evenly and we’ve cancelled the usual pre-race check-in centre in favour of mailing out race kits which will include personal protection equipment,” he said.
“A scaled down version of the ASICS Sport and Leisure Centre will be located at the Broadwater Events Parklands with exhibitors including ASICS footwear and fashion, Southern Cross University and Polar with opportunities to purchase event merchandise and access last minute event information for runners and members of the public.
“Our priority in 2021 is to implement a COVID safe event and deliver a positive running experience for our recreational and elite runners that showcases the Gold Coast and highlights the fact that major events have returned.”
The 42nd Gold Coast Marathon will be held on July 3-4 and will feature eight races – the marathon, wheelchair marathon, half marathon, wheelchair 15km, 10km run, 5k Fun Run, 4km Junior Dash and 2km Junior Dash.
The last Aussie man to win GC Marathon
3/7/2006: It’s been 14 years since an Australian won the men’s marathon. We take a look back at the day Lee Troop took out line honours in Blast From The Past
AN emotional Lee Troop declared his best was yet to come after a rising from the ashes to convincingly claim his maiden Gold Coast Airport Marathon crown yesterday.
The injury-plagued Troop, who has battled a chronic hip problem for the past six years, took the race out hard from the start to battle home in 2hr 14min 13sec.
``I will enjoy this because it has been an extremely tough road for me,’’ said 33-year-old Victorian Troop, who enjoyed a lengthy embrace with wife Freyja and five-month-old daughter Macy after the finish.
``It is great to be back on the winner’s podium again.
``Mentally I know I am one of the strongest athletes in the world but the thing that has really affected me over the last few years has been injuries. I feel like I am back to being one of the best runners in the country and I proved that today.
``I know that to get back to one of the best international athletes in the world is going to take six to eight more months of hard training.’’
FULL DIGITAL ACCESS: JUST $1 A WEEK FOR FIRST 12 WEEKS
Ethiopian-born Canberra-based athlete and former Gold Coast champion Gemechu Woyecha finished second in a time of 2:17.23 and New Zealander Scott Winton placed third in 2:18.08.
After the 42.195km race Troop admitted the Gold Coast event was `the last roll of the dice’ for his roller-coaster career.
``I have been to hell and back, this was my last attempt to get it right,’’ said two-time Olympian Troop.
``My wife knows how much my running means to me and when it is taken away . . . it is very hard.
``I am only at 80-90 per cent of my best and there were so many question marks as to whether I would make it over the distance or would any injuries flare up.
``I think I answered a lot of questions within myself.
``I know I can get back to being one of the best and that is my aim.’’
Troop’s time was still well off Kenyan Paul Tergat’s world record of 2:04.55
and the fastest time run in the world this year, 2:06.38 by another Kenyan, Sammy Korir at Rotterdam.
However it was still good enough to guarantee him a seat on the plane to next year’s world championships in Japan and secure the 2006 Australian marathon title.
Leading into the event Troop had made no secret of his intention to at least crack Brad Camp’s long-standing 1989 Gold Coast race record of 2:10.11.
But the race didn’t exactly go to plan for Troop.
``I still got the job done,’’ he said.
``The important thing was to win the title and make sure I was under 2:15 to qualify for the word champs.
``We’ve done that, we can tick the boxes.
SIGN UP NOW FOR OUR FULL ON FOOTY GOLD COAST NEWSLETTERS
``Those other boxes that were underneath, like the course record, they weren’t ticked off but they were just not meant to be.’’
Troop was close to record pace at the halfway mark, covering the first 21km in 65 minutes.
But he faded in the later stages after his pace-setter and coach, Australian distance running legend Steve Moneghetti, finished his job and retired from the race.
His first hit-out since finishing a disappointing 45th (2:29.13) at his last race in Fukuoka last year, Troop said the course was more physically demanding than he expected.
``I was stuffed at about three or four kilometres,’’ said Troop. ``I didn’t feel great at all. It was just one of those days.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION AT THE BULLETIN FACEBOOK SPORTS FORUM
``I just knew that it wasn’t going to be the day to run fast, it was just going to be a time to tough it out, really nut it out and show what I am renowned for.’’
He has no doubt he will run faster than his personal best time of 2:09.49 in the near future.
``I have still got so much more running to run,’’ said Troop.
``I don’t want 2:09.49 to be the fastest marathon of my career.
``I will run faster.’’
Moneghetti said he couldn’t be any prouder of the way Troop had fought his way back to the top of Australian distance running.
``Everyone had written him off and now he stands back on top,’’ said Moneghetti.
``To actually get back to this level is an outstanding effort in itself.
``Marathons are the toughest things to stay at a high level but it is even harder to get back once you have dropped away.
``We will look at how he recovers now and then look to the world championships - and then the ultimate aim is Beijing in 2008.’’
Chevron Island runner Brian Livingstone claimed the Queensland title, crossing the line ninth overall in a time of 2:25.54.
50 Qld prodigies you could be watching at 2032 Olympics
With the clock ticking down to the Brisbane Olympics, we’ve run our eyes over the state’s brightest young stars who could be centrestage come 2032.
‘Staring at the ceiling for a month’: BMX rider recalls shocking injury
From setting the best run in the history of the sport, to staring at a hospital ceiling in a foreign country for a month, to being crowned a national champion in his own backyard. Check out Brandon Loupos’ amazing rollercoaster journey.