Hunterview local takes Gold Coast gold

Matthew Ewing was crowned the Australian Defence Marathon Champion for 2019 at the Gold Coast Marathon on Sunday 7 July.  Ewing, 38, from Hunterview, stood out against a large contingent of defence members competing in the race, finishing with a time of 2:48:03.

This year’s 41st annual Gold Coast Marathon attracted 26,287 participants from 57 countries including 6,620 runners in the marathon. The event featured eight races including the Gold Coast Marathon, Wheelchair Marathon, ASICS Half Marathon, Southern Cross University 10km Run, Gold Coast Airport Fun Run, Garmin 4km Junior Dash and Garmin 2km Junior Dash.

A highlight was Japanese speedster Yuta Shitara smashing the Gold Coast Marathon record, taking out the IAAF Gold Label race in an amazing 2:07:50. Melbourne’s Jack Rayner revelled in the rain, kicking clear in the later stages to win the ASICS Half Marathon in 1:02:30 ahead of Japan’s Yuki Sato and Yuma Hattori. Meanwhile, in the women’s ASICS Half Marathon, Sinead Diver led home an Aussie trifecta.

Both performances indicate positive promises for Australia in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. There was a similar story in the Wheelchair Marathon with Australian Paralympians Bill Chaffey and Madison de Rozario back on the Gold Coast and mining more gold.