Steve Moneghetti reveals why so few Australians win the Gold Coast Marathon compared to the half-marathon

Australians once again dominated the Gold Coast half marathon but the wait for a local runner to claim the full distance event continued as international runners sealed victory. Running legend Steve Moneghetti reveals why and the push to attract more Australians to compete in the 42km race.

The Gold Coast Marathon has concluded for another year with Australian stars taking out the half marathons but internationals once again soaring above in the full-distance event.

Australian marathon legend and Gold Coast Marathon ambassador Steve Moneghetti has urged more elite Aussie runners to take up the full 42.195km course in years to come.

Australian marathon record holder Andy Buchanan competed in the half-marathon on Saturday - where he set a new course record - while Leanne Pompeani and Olympian Jess Stenson both competed in the 21km women’s event.

Pompeani and Buchanan have now both gone back-to-back in the Gold Coast half-marathon with an Australian winning the men’s event in seven of the last eight years, and four of the last five years in the women.

However, despite the recent success for Australia in the half-marathon, you have to go back to Lauren Shelley in 2009 to find the last time an Australian won the full-distance event.

“July is often leading into world championships or an Olympic Games in August or September, so the half marathon is a perfect hitout race for those marathons later in the year,” Moneghetti said.

“They know it’s a well supported event so they get really well looked after here and they know that all they need to do is focus on running fast and that’s historically what they’ve done.”

Running great Steve Moneghetti.

However, while Moneghetti understands the timing makes a half-marathon a perfect prep and confidence boost for other major competitions, he too hopes to see the Australian half-marathon stars take on the full Gold Coast Marathon.

“There’s so many choices to run marathons all around the world, we see Sydney now is one of the World Marathon Majors so we have got to make sure that we get people to come here because it is a really fast course,” he said.

“Once people see fast times they bring international runners here, but we also want to make sure that Australians realise you’re in an international field, you’re gonna get dragged along to a fast time that’s going to get you qualified for a world championship or an Olympic Games.

“They (international runners) come to run fast, why don’t the Australians come and run fast. “Getting them to step up to the marathon, I think that’s just going to happen if they come out for fast half times.

“They go ‘I had a great experience running the half why wouldn’t we run the marathon here’.”

Moneghetti will hope runners follow the path paved by Australian Paralympian Sam Rizzo, who competed in his first wheelchair marathon on the Gold Coast and claimed a sensational victory and obliterated his PB after he won the 10km event in 2022.