Toowoomba dad Jim O’Grady excited to be first entrant in Toowoomba Marathon

Toowoomba dad Jim O’Grady says the Garden City deserves a permanent long distance running event, and that’s one of the reasons why he was the first to sign up for Toowoomba Marathon. Find out what else drives Jim forward here.

Toowoomba dad Jim O'Grady was the first person to sign up for the Toowoomba Marathon.

Lacing up his runners in the Toowoomba Marathon will be a dream come true for Jim O’Grady.

The Toowoomba dad, who was the first runner to sign up for the inaugural event, has always believed the Garden City deserves to host a premier long distance.

“A permanent marathon event is something we’ve been missing among all the wonderful running and other events we have here,” O’Grady, 40, said.

“I’ve done Hell of the West, Noosa Triathlon and a few other events and they’re all wonderful in their own way but nothing compares to Toowoomba’s scenery for me.

“It’s such a picturesque city.

“The hills, the views along the escarpment, our beautiful parklands, even our trees. It (Toowoomba) is so beautiful and I think it will be an amazing event.”

O’Grady is no stranger to “marathon distances” in and around Toowoomba.

In 2019 he ran in the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing Marathon and has competed in the 40 for Fortey.

Named in honour of Senior Constable Brett Forte, who died in the line of duty, teams normally complete 10 laps of the 4km loop around Toowoomba’s Prince Henry Heights but O’Grady ran the distance on his own.

Toowoomba Road Runners members (from left) Brett Ebneter, Peter Williams, Christine Galley, Wendy Dighton, Chris Gillett, Laura Pascoe, Jackie Amos, Cathie Murtagh, Stuart Pocknee and Mark Galley are excited that the Toowoomba Marathon is back. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Heading into the Toowoomba Marathon his goals are simple: enjoy the occasion and finish the race.

“If I had to put a time on it I’d say four and half hours,” he said.

“Really though I just want to enjoy the event and finish it.

“One of the wonderful things about events like this is you always meet new people.

“You get to talking as you run and you find out they are just like and inevitably you become really good friends beyond the event.

“The thing that will make this event so memorable is how many people I will recognise.

“A lot of the volunteers are Toowoomba Road Runners members like me and no doubt I see a lot of people around the course as well.”

Eager to set a good example for his children and live a generally healthier lifestyle O’Grady joined the TRR a number of years ago in a bid to get fit.

“It (running) was the most easily accessible and among the cheapest things to get into,” he said.

“I didn’t want to be getting on in my years and huffing whenever I climbed a set of stairs.

“I joined Toowoomba Road Runners a few years ago because I thought being part of a group would motivate and at the same time I would be able to motivate and support others.

“It’s a wonderful group and I love being part of it.”

Less than a month out from the marathon organisers have said it is well on track to bring more than 2000 entrants to the region.

Currently there is a perfect 50-50 split of male and female entrants across the various distance events with runners from across Queensland, Australia and as far as Malaysia and Singapore already signed up.