Ready to Race at Oceania Half Marathon Championships at the Gold Coast Half Marathon
The Oceania Half Marathon Championships returns to the ASICS Gold Coast Marathon on Saturday 4 July, with the Area’s best distance runners set to battle for continental honours on one of Australia’s fastest road running courses.
Held alongside the Gold Coast Half Marathon and the Australian Half Marathon Championships, the biennial event begins at 6.15am AEST, with the flat and fast course expected to produce quick times and close racing.
Defending Oceania champion Andy Buchanan (Australia) returns looking to retain his title, leading a strong Australian contingent that includes Brett Robinson and World Athletics Championships marathon representatives Liam Boudin and Tim Vincent.
New Zealand’s Cameron Avery makes his return to international competition after an extended injury layoff, while national half marathon champion Toby Gualter will also be among the contenders after his recent Oceania 5000m title in Darwin.
The Pacific Islands will also be well represented. French Polynesia’s Damian Troquent, the national marathon record holder and Pacific Mini Games half marathon bronze medallist, headlines the island athletes. Nauru’s Isaac Oppenheimer, who holds national records from the 1500 metres through to 10,000 metres, will step up in distance with his sights set on a new national half marathon record.
Solomon Islands teammates Geejay Junior and Leony Pusua will both use the championships as valuable preparation ahead of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Junior arrives after claiming bronze in the half marathon at the recent Pacific Mini Games.
The women’s race is equally stacked, with Australian record holder Izzy Batt-Doyle leading a quality field chasing Oceania honours.
She will be challenged by New Zealand’s Georgie Grgec, runner-up at the 2025 Nike Melbourne Marathon, fellow Kiwi and New Zealand half marathon champion Laura Nagel, and Australia’s Genevieve Gregson, who claimed victory at this year’s Ballarat Half Marathon.
Among the Pacific representatives, Northern Mariana Islands national record holder Nathaania Tan continues to build on an outstanding distance running career, holding national records from 1500 metres through to the half marathon.
French Polynesia’s Aurielle Steeldant, the national 10 kilometre record holder, will also line up, while Papua New Guinea rising stars Monica Kalua and Ray Kumala Heru are set to make their half marathon debuts on the international stage.
With Oceania titles on the line, national records sure to tumble, and the opportunity to race on one of the world’s premier road running courses, spectators can expect an exciting morning of racing on the Gold Coast.
The Oceania Half Marathon Championships will be broadcast live and free via the Gold Coast Marathon YouTube channel from 6.00am AEST on Saturday 4 July.
— ENDS —