Records broken on the Great Ocean Road

THE Kieser Great Ocean Road Running Festival has made a triumphant return as Australia’s largest running event.

GORRF director Brad King confirmed almost 9,000 runners, along with their friends and family, travelled from across the country to the Great Ocean Road over the weekend to take part in two days of record-breaking events.

“After a challenging 2020, we are thrilled to have delivered a successful event for the Great Ocean Road community,” he said.

“We would like to thank our event and charity partners, volunteers, supporters and every participant who helped make this year a success.”

Along with large crowds, the weekend of running concluded with two new race records as competitors failed to disappoint.

Six-time champion Natasha Fraser was crowned the winner of the women’s Science in Sport ultra-marathon, while Matthew Whitaker broke the race record completing the 60km run in just under four hours.

Olympic gold medallist and GORRF ambassador Steve Moneghetti, 58, took out seventh place in Saturday’s 14km Paradise run, while winners Cali Thackery and new record holder Andre Waring backed up their performances by placing second in the Science in Sport half marathon on the following day.

This year participants raised money for Breast Cancer Trials, Dementia Australia, Lifeline Australia and Beyond Blue, while for the eighth year, official charity partner Apollo Bay & District Health Foundation raised money for better health services across the region.

Visit Victoria CEO Brendan McClements said the festival attracted thousands of visitors to the Great Ocean Road at a crucial time as the tourism industry enters their off-season.

“On behalf of the Victorian Government, Visit Victoria is proud to support the Great Ocean Road Running Festival and we were thrilled to see so many people enjoying the event, soaking in the beautiful coastline and supporting the local accommodation, hospitality and retail businesses,” he said.

Along with nine races and a range of activities located at the two hubs in Lorne and Apollo Bay, runners were able to access the experts from Keiser who provided complimentary physiotherapy consultations to help get them over the line.

Keiser Australia CEO Brett Lang said it was good to see varying levels of athletes out on the road.

“Our Kieser community has been there every step of the way,” he said.

“It’s great for us to see everyone from first time recreational runners to elite competitors – everyone doing their bit to keep our community strong, healthy and active.”