Elite marathon announced for Sydney

Athletics Australia (AA) has announced a new marathon event on the 2021 Australian Summer of Athletics Calendar.

The marathon will be held on April 25 at the Sydney International Regatta Centre, Penrith, to provide a vital competition opportunity for athletes aiming to compete at the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, the 2022 World Championships in Oregon and 2022 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe.  

With travel restrictions and the uncertainty of mass participation events going ahead, AA has put the marathon in place so that elite athletes can also compete before the Olympic qualification deadline of May 31.

“Athletics Australia has strived to hold a full Summer calendar of competition for our high performance athletes, including going ahead with our Australian Track & Field Championships at Sydney Olympic Park. It's equally important that we give our marathon athletes opportunities as we look ahead to three major events in 2022,” said AA President Mark Arbib. 

“While marathons have been contested during the Tokyo qualification period, there have been limited opportunities for our marathoners since the COVID-19 pandemic began and we envision there will still be international restrictions for athletes to travel to compete at international marathons for the foreseeable future.

“In the same international calendar period, a number of our marathoners would normally be racing at the London Marathon, so this elite race in Sydney is an important opportunity. By creating the course for elite athletes, we are allowing our marathoners to prepare with as much certainty as possible.”

Initial planning for this marathon began in January, and in line with AA’s Competition strategy, athletes and coaches across both the Olympic and Paralympic programs have been widely consulted. The date in April was finalised after the event logistics and operations were able to be confirmed this week.

This marathon will be within the qualification period for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, however it is not a Tokyo nomination trial, meaning the event will have no greater or less importance when athletes are being considered by the selectors for nomination to either the Australian Olympic or Paralympic team.

“This marathon may provide another opportunity for athletes to qualify or improve their qualifying performance within the Tokyo qualification period while international travel makes it very hard to access appropriate high-level competition,” said AA Chair of Selection Panel Dion Russell.

“There are also other marathons scheduled in Australia and internationally between now and the end of the qualification period, and any performances from any of these marathons within the qualification period may be considered in line with AA’s selection policy.”

AA will be welcoming entries from marathon athletes who have achieved sub 2:30 (men) and sub 2:50 (women) for the event. 

The 2021 Australian Marathon Championships will still take place on July 4 in conjunction with the Gold Coast Marathon.

Elite athletes can register for the event via the Athletics Australia website:
https://www.athletics.com.au/events/94104/ 

By Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia
Posted: 18/3/2021
Photo by Ewa Facioni