Certified course puts Geelong marathon on the map

FINISHERS in Geelong’s first marathon will be able to use their times to qualify for world majors.

The Geelong Running Festival courses meet the standards required for World Athletics certification and AIMS recognition, with qualified measurers brought in to ensure the course meets strict distance requirements.

Event organiser Lee TrooGeelong’s first marathon is now World Athletics certified! Use your finish time to qualify for world majors like Boston and London.p said the process was essential in establishing Geelong as a destination marathon.

Times achieved in marathons without World Athletics certification and AIMS recognition cannot be used to qualify for elite races, including the world majors in Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York City and Sydney.

Grade A measurers Dave Cundy and trainee Jeff Wright followed the shortest possible route a runner could take on the Geelong course, using bicycles fitted with Jones Counters.

They completed multiple runs of the course to confirm accuracy.

Troop said certification was important for all runners.

“The event is costing us $1.5 million, so we’re going to make sure that we don’t leave anything out and we do everything right,” Troop said.

“World Athletics and AIMS are the recognisable groups that certify courses, so we needed to make sure that everything was done correctly.

“We’ve tried to make everything work; we’ve tried to make sure that we please as many people as we can.”

Certification did have a small impact on the community run, which has been reduced from 8km to 6.5km.

Troop said organisers had initially planned an 8km distance to appeal to both 5km and 10km runners, but could not accommodate both courses in the inaugural event.

“When we certified the course, unfortunately the 8km didn’t fit into what we were doing, so we’ve reduced it to 6.5km,” Troop said.

“[It] is closer to 5km than 10km, but I feel like in our first year, it’s the best outcome.”

Despite the change, he said all distances would still showcase the best of Geelong.

“A big thing for us was to make sure that regardless of whether you ran the community run, half marathon or marathon that everyone got to enjoy the city and the [Kardinia Park] Stadium,” Troop said.

Plans are already in place to expand the festival to two days in 2027, with dedicated 5km and 10km events.

This year’s event will also include all-abilities and junior races.

“We want to make sure this event is an umbrella for everyone regardless of ability and age,” Troop said.

Geelong’s first marathon will be held on 20 September as part of the Geelong Running Festival.