Earl ready to defend half marathon title

Attending a wedding the night before won’t stop Nick Earl from looking to continue his love affair with the Cadbury Marathon carnival.

Former winner of the Cadbury Marathon Nick Earl is this year attending a wedding as part of his night before race preparation before his runs the Cadbury Half Marathon. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Attending a wedding the night before won’t stop Nick Earl from looking to continue his love affair with the Cadbury Marathon carnival on Sunday.

His jampacked weekend diary means the event’s record holder will settle for attempting to defend his half marathon title when the carnival celebrates its 40th anniversary.

The 38-year-old claimed honours over the 21.1km distance in 2019, 2021 and last year, and set a race record 2:18.30 in winning his only attempt at the marathon in 2020.

“It’s one of my partners’ best friends’ weddings (for Beth Reece and Mark Yates) and I’ll be on the hydrolytes, which will be quite funny,” Earl said.

“I’ve done both events (half marathon and marathon) and really enjoy them, but when I heard about the wedding being on that date I wanted to work it in.

“It will still be fun, I just won’t get too drunk.”

Earl said the event is ideally placed for Hobart to kick off the marathon season for 2023 in style.

“I always do this event and love it, it’s the only one which is in January because the rest of Australia’s too hot,” he said.

“I moved to Melbourne (from the UK) nine years ago and Tassie just over three years ago. Everyone talks about the most liveable city being Melbourne but I moved to Hobart and was like ‘this is way nicer than Melbourne, what’s everyone talking about?”

Earl is still making his way back from a knee injury he picked up three months ago, and is a little off his dominant 2019-20 seasons.

Nick Earl breaks the record in the 2020 Cadbury Marathon. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

“2019 was probably my best running year, but I got injured during Covid and never really been the same since,” he said.

“It’s a little bit frustrating but as a runner, if you don’t get injured for a year and am able to train consistently you’ll hit some really good form.

“On Strava you need those ‘bars’ every week to be consistent.

“I was coming back from the UK sitting on a plane for so long, then ran a 30k basically as soon as landed which probably did it (injury).”

In the ASICS 10km race Kenyan pair Orpah Koech and Lincoln Kiplimo-Mangira are expected to be hard to beat.

Little Athletics has also joined forces with the event for the first time, with the youngsters to race a 1km circuit near Claremont Golf Club.

Young Tasmanian of the Year Meriem Daoui has been forced to withdraw from the marathon with a foot injury, but is still raising money for youth mental health service Hobart Headspace.

“I won’t be running but I still want to fundraise as much as I can and help the cause,” she said.

“I’m just urging people to donate and look at what Headspace does, talk about and address different topics on mental health

“I’ve won the full marathon and the half, it’s a great event. There’s a good atmosphere and different events now like the mini marathon for kids, which I think is great to get them and the parents involved.”

The marathon will start at the Cadbury factory at Claremont and competitors will negotiate a two laps of a course around the River Derwent.

Information on course maps, parking, bib collection and race history can be found HERE.

SUNDAY’S SCHEDULE

Cadbury Marathon (42.2km) - 6am

Cadbury Half Marathon (21.1km) - 6.30am

ASICS 10km - 9.15am

The Running Edge 5km - 9.10am

Cadbury 1km - 9am

Parking: Cadbury Carpark (free, will close once full or at 5.50am; Cadbury Cricket Ground opens 7.45am (limited parking); Village green opposite Claremont Plaza (costs a $5 donation to St Annes Cricket Club)