A Short History of the Townsville Running Festival

From 1972 to 1998
Townsville Road Runners have conducted a Marathon in Townsville every year since 1972, however, they have been run over a variety of courses and in each case the distance has been close ie approximately 42.195k.
As a result the question was always asked, was it the correct distance – long or short?
During the nineties fields dwindled to about 30 and questions were asked about the viability of continuing to stage these races.
A similar lack of competitors was causing Marathons in all other regional centres to suffer and eventually fold.

1999
The first Townsville Running Festival was conducted from the Sheraton Hotel car park due to the rebuilding of The Strand.
An interesting 3 loop course was designed around the Port, Flinders St East, Strand and Pallarenda.
It incorporated a marathon, half marathon and 10k fun run all starting from the same point at different times so that they all finished at a similar time.
While the marathon is an event for serious runners the combination of distances allows for progression from fun run to the marathon.
The fun run also allows the less serious and younger family members to compete.
1998 Commonwealth Games Gold Medal winner Heather Turland was invited up as guest runner, she competed in and won the Half Marathon as a warm up for the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
The Festival was an outstanding success with 215 competitors overall.
TCC funding and other sponsorship greatly assisted this growth.

2000
with the Strand finished the Festival was relocated to historic Tobruk Pool (arguably one of the best locations anywhere for the purpose).
A new course was run but again it was approximate.
The festival is advertised nationally in Runner’s World.
Competitor numbers continue to grow to 285.

2001
Townsville Road Runners won a grant from Qld Dept Sport and Recreation to train members to accurately measure road courses to IAAF standards.
Dave Cundy (designer of 2000 Sydney Olympic marathon course) conducted the measurers course and also accredited our new marathon course.
A new 3 loop course was designed around the Strand and the most scenic parts of the waterfront, it is fast and flat. It consists of 2 x 10.5k loops plus1 x 21.1k loop.
Our “tropical blue line “ was painted on the course ie a dashed blue line over much of the course and all corners.
Townsville Coastguard members (dressed in white uniforms) receive a donation to act as marshals to guide runners around the course. Other beneficiaries include swimming clubs and the Rural Fire Brigade who provide waterstops and traffic control respectively.
Numbers continue to grow to 350 with approx 30% of the competitors travelling into Townsville from regional Qld, interstate and o’seas to compete.
Continued support from TCC, TEL and sponsors.

2002
The addition of a Pasta Party after registration on Sat afternoon adds more atmosphere to the Festival.
An open water swim is added on Sat afternoon to grow the numbers associated with the Festival, it is an ideal training session for Tri-athletes and is a popular addition.
Numbers increase to 381 overall with several competitors coming directly to Townsville from o/seas to compete. Also several backpackers are attracted to the event. Regional numbers are still strong.
Organisers realise the growth potential for the Festival and make plans to gain Qld Events Regional Development Program funding for 2003.

2003
The Festival is boosted by QERDP funding to further promote the event. As well as continued support from TCC, TEL and local sponsors.
A new website is loaded to allow for expanded promotion including on line registration.
Prizemoney was introduced for individuals (in all races), race records and marathon teams this year.
2002 Commonwealth Games Silver medallist in the womens’ marathon Krishna Stanton accepts our invitation to compete as guest athlete in the half marathon on Sunday 3rd Aug.
Increased TV and print advertising was targeted at various sectors to entice runners to Townsville for a great run followed by a relaxing “winter” holiday in the Tropics.
This year there were 510 finishers in the festival with 79 completing the Tony Ireland Holden Marathon.

2004
Former world marathon champion - Rob De Castella and his coach Pat Clohessey are our guests at the launch of the 2004 Festival. Both Deek and Pat speak at a seminar the evening before the launch, it was very inspirational. Unfortunately Deek cannot return for the Festival on 1st August.
The ADF (Australian Defence Force) Marathon Championships are incorporated into the Festival. About 15 ADF personnel compete in the marathon.
The half marathon increases to 211, but overall numbers are down to 445 due to an unfortunate date clash with the Townsville Cup. This will not occur in future.

2005
The Festival is once again boosted with increased sponsorship funds from Townsville City Council and another Qld Events Regional Development Grant.
Australian running legend - Steve Moneghetti is our guest athlete. Mona assists promotion of the Festival with school visits, meeting juniors and club members. Steve competes in the 10.5k fun run and gives the field of 225 runner 2 mins start – he beat the field by 2 mins. The first 300 fun runners to enter received a souvenir ‘I ran with Mona’ singlet. Steve was very popular signing singlets and sharing advice.
All runners wore a timing transponder on the ankle to give us electronic timing for the first time.
The addition of a 5k Junior Fun Run / Walk was successful. Prizes were given from U10 to U18. We marketed the 5k to the business community - teams from TCC and Ergon entered. This is recognised as a future growth area for the Festival.
The marathon field contained 93 starters and overall numbers increased to 687.

2006
Colin Johnston, 33, a former champion Townsville junior runner now of Sydney, set a new record, 2:31.02 for the Tony Ireland Holden Townsville marathon, bettering by 2:52 his winning time in the 2005 race.
Record fields in the 10.5km and 5.2km fun runs contributed to a record turn-out of 950 runners, despite slightly smaller numbers in the marathon and half-marathon.
There were 71 finishers in the marathon and 181 in the half-marathon.
Guest athlete Kerryn McCann, winner of the 2006 Commonwealth Games women’s marathon, ran in the 10.5km race, accompanied by her sister and brother-in-law Jennifer and Kim Gillard, holidaying from Tasmania. Kim Gillard set a new men’s record, 32.40, and told the Townsville Bulletin he hoped to return. ``It’s a great event and it’s a credit to the Townsville community how they handled the race,’’ he said.
The festival received major financial support from Queensland Events, Townsville City Council and McDonald’s Townsville.
The nominated Charity for the event was Ronald McDonald House at the Townsville Hospital, which provides accommodation for families of sick children from North and North-Western Queensland.

2007
There were 1,089 starters in 2007. Australian middle-distance champion Benita Johnson, of Mackay, was guest athlete for the 2007 McDonald's Townsville Running Festival on Sunday, August 7. She tied for first in the Sports Med 10.5km race with Anthony Craig, of Townsville, in 34.19. Benita, who was preparing for the World Athletics Championships in Osaka, said she had found some good training venues, friendly training partners and perfect weather.
There were 272 finishers in this event, 81 in the McDonald's 5km junior fun run, 237 in the Townsville Bulletin 5km and 200 in the Kelly Services' 5km corporate teams' event. The winner of the Tony Ireland Marathon, Stafford Thompson, 27, of Mount Isa, described conditions as perfect for racing after finishing in 2:36.23, six minutes ahead of second-placed Scott Britain, of Brisbane. The marathon field was smaller than last year - 58, compared with 71, but numbers were up in the Queensland Country Health half-marathon, with 232 starters compared with 181. Major festival sponsors included Townsville City Council and Queensland Events, through its regional development program.

2008
The 10th annual festival drew a record 1,438 starters and featured a close finish in the marathon. First-timer Mick Krake, 31, won in 2:54.28, followed by fellow Townsville runners Justin McGann, 2:54.44, Peter Clifford 2:57.17, Mathew Boschen 2:59.41 and James Gaudin 3:01.21. Townsville women also fared well, with Sue Devine first in 3:20.01 and Caroline McGann second in 3:24.34.
McDonald's continued its sponsorship of the festival. Tony Ireland Holden sponsored the marathon, Queensland Country Health the 21.1km, Sportsmed the 10.5km, the Townsville Bulletin the 5km fun run, McDonalds the junior 5km and Kelly Services the 5km corporate teams' race. All 5km events were over a new out-and-back course along The Strand, introduced because of congestion around the casino.
Former Australian Commonwealth Games marathoner Pat Carroll, of the Gold Coast, was our guest athlete and 2008 Beijing Games marathon representative Lisa Weightman, of Melbourne, included the 10.5km race in two weeks' Townsville-based training. She and training partner Anthony Craig tied for first. The festival coincided with the Oceania Masters and the half-marathon was included as an official masters' event, which resulted in 75 extra starters.