Gold Coast Marathon secure eight year partnership with ASICS

The Glitter Strip is “in the mix” to host the 2032 Olympic Games marathon according to Gold Coast Marathon powerbrokers.FULL DETAILS

The Glitter Strip is “in the mix” to host the 2032 Olympic Games marathon according to Gold Coast Marathon powerbrokers.

The revelation that the Coast was in the running for the marquee Olympic event comes as Events Management Queensland (EMQ) announced on Tuesday an eight-year partnership with international sports performance brand ASICS across its three major events until 2032.

EMQ CEO Ben Mannion said the long-term agreement “almost definitely” helps in a bid to securing the Olympic marathon for the Coast.

“We’ll get world class runners coming to the Gold Coast over the next eight years that are partnered up with ASICS,” he said.

“That will help in putting the Gold Coast Marathon on another pedestal and making it a real global marathon.”

Mr Mannion said talks were in the early days, with a lot to be considered from an Olympics perspective.

EMQ CEO Ben Mannion. Picture: Supplied

“But we’re in the mix – whatever happens with the election we will be front and centre in conversations around the Gold Coast in general, but also making sure the (Olympic) marathon is in the right place – on the Gold Coast.”

As for the annual Gold Coast Marathon, Mr Mannion said EMQ were in talks with Gold Coast City council to expand the track for future growth.

“The relationship we have with the city is really great particularly through Experience Gold Coast and the stakeholder group that helps us design the course,” Mr Mannion said.

“We need an open mind in making sure we can get a really safe course – the width of the road is the most important part. We’re sending 5000 people at a time through sometimes a three-metre gap so we want to make sure it’s safe, but we also don’t want to lose that coastal scenic flat run as well.”

GCM x ASICS Partnership announcement

This year’s event attracted 30,000 participants across the weekend with 14,000 on a waitlist.

The course was changed to make the larger numbers possible.

“This year we went out to the Gold Coast Highway to get out from the two-way flows of Hedges Ave and the tight places on the course,” Mr Mannion said.

“So what will allow us to grow the event will be effectively a loop course where we don’t have to come back and cross over each other which is what we’ve had to do in the last few years.

“We tried SeaWorld Drive for the first time this year, we’ve left Burleigh alone till the tram tracks are done.”

EMQ chairman Paul Donovan said the biggest challenge facing the event today was fitting more people on the track.

EMQ Chairman Paul Donovan. Picture: Supplied

“Gold Coast Marathon is now legendary and ASICS is critical to the event. This is the longest partnership of any mass participation event in the history of major events in Australia,” he said.

“Our big challenge now is to make sure we can grow the event in different ways while fitting more people on the track.”

Mr Mannion said event organisers were still open to what next year’s course and beyond may look like, but it would still be “world class” in order to attract the best runners from around the globe.

“We need the city on board, all the key stakeholders, and they need to understand what benefit that brings to hotels, to cafes, to the whole city and the state as people fly in from different parts of the world.”

Originally published as Gold Coast Marathon secure eight year partnership with ASICS