PRESS RELEASE

21ST ADELAIDE FESTIVAL CITY SMARTPLAY MARATHON

Sunday 22nd August 1999

It is less than a week until the running of the 21st Adelaide Festival City Smartplay Marathon and over three hundred entries have been received. The new road course through some of the finer parts of Adelaide, will start and finish from Santos Stadium. There is also a Half Marathon and 6km Fun Run being held with runners, walkers and wheelchair entrants encouraged to compete.

Competitors also have the chance to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy. If they raise $80 through sponsorship they will go into the draw for a return airfare to London.

Several athletes will be trying to meet the 2.30 deadline for men, or 3 hours for women, to qualify for preferred status at next year’s Olympic Marathon selection trials in Sydney. The men’s race will be a two-way battle between Mark Howard and Joe Petkovic all from S. Australia, who are all confident of doing well.

There are three women all aiming to beat three hours. They are Leah Wright(SA), Nicole Newman(Tas) and Patricia Gavin(Vic).

Another special group competing are the “Magnificent Seven”. These seven Adelaide runners have competed in all 20 previous Adelaide Marathons. John Auld, John Bannon, Terry Buxton, Len Freeth, Ross Martin, Peter Slagter, and Peter Worley. All have etched their own place in South Australian sporting history and must be congratulated in this, their twenty first marathon.

Scottish lady, Di Cromarty is making the trip to run in the Marathon and raise money for cancer research. She lost her husband several years ago to cancer and has ran in the Boston and London Marathon to raise money for cancer research.

Several competitors will be competing in their first Marathon with top Australian Racewalker, Darren Bown amongst them. Darren was the leading Australian in the 20km Walk at this year’s World Cup in France and must be a near certainty to beat Noel Heinrich’s Adelaide walking record of 4.48, although your first marathon is always unpredictable.

All first timers must be congratulated as only one percent of the population ever complete a Marathon.

Many entries have been received from interstate and overseas including runners from Germany , Macau, USA and South Africa.

Andrew Morton from the USA is a keen Crows fan and is hoping to catch the Showdown afterwards and Pieter Nel from South Africa has completed fourteen comrades Ultra Marathons. 77 year old, Ken Matchett from Victoria is coming across and will be competing in his 115th Marathon. Ken also holds 6 World Ultra records in various categories.

There will be random draws held for all competitors at the end of the day, which is an added bonus. So if you’re not competing on the day, come and cheer the Marathon competitors by the road side or at the finish at Santos Stadium. They will be glad of your support and you will be helping to keep a great South Australian tradition alive.

For further information, please contact the South Australian Road Runners Club on 8410 1317.

Click here for CoolRunning Homepage