Thousands Celebrate the Return of the Queenstown Marathon
The 2022 New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty Queenstown Marathon returned in style as thousands of athletes made their way through the stunning trails of the Queenstown Lakes District.
The event was back after a two-year COVID-enforced hiatus and the residents of Queenstown turned out in their droves to cheer on the athletes the whole way along the course.
Queenstown local Bradley Jackson was taking part in his first marathon, two years after being diagnosed with a severe and aggressive form of tongue cancer. The now 23-year-old finished in just over five hours and thanks to his efforts has now raised over $10,000 for the Head & Neck Cancer Support Charitable Trust.
“First marathon, the body didn’t know what it was in for, but it held up pretty well for the first half and then took a bit of a hit in the wee middle section but then got a second wave of energy which was cool and then just kind of nailed it,” said Bradley.
“It’s a pretty surreal feeling, it’s hard to explain or put into words really. Just really humbled and grateful for the people that I have in my life, they’ve supported me through a lot of rubbish over the last two years and this is more for them, and for my family and friends and loved ones who can’t be here today, it’s really, really special.”
With four distances on offer, from the 2.2km Kids Run to the 42.2km Marathon, runners of all ages and abilities took part in today’s event.
The oldest competitor in the field was 87-year-old Queenstown local David Graham, who finished the La Roche Posay Half Marathon in 3:06:04. David was taking part in his fourth Queenstown Marathon having only started running in his eighties when the event came to his hometown.
“It’s really the family that makes me want to do this, we’ve got grandchildren running the kids run, we’ve got one of our sons doing the marathon, another son is doing the half and also my grandson did the half as well. We just wanted to keep it a family affair. I’ve done this event three times but not for a few years,” said David.
“The course is absolutely brilliant and what makes it so special is that everyone is so friendly and encouraging and you can hear the cheers which makes all the difference, good old Queenstown puts on a special show,” he said.
TV personality Brodie Kane returned to the Queenstown Marathon two years on from her last attempt, before she turns her attention to the Kepler Challenge in two weeks’ time.
“It was completely different, the first time I had a terrible day because I was chasing times and thinking I could take on the universe and Queenstown Marathon has other ideas about that, so this was actually, which is ridiculous, a training run for the Kepler Challenge that I’m doing in two weeks,” said Brodie.
“The course is beautiful, it is challenging,” she said. “The volunteers are amazing and great crowds, it’s awesome.”
International runners returned to the Queenstown Marathon for the first time since 2019 and made up 14% of the field.
Corinna Atkinson flew over from Australia for the event alongside her friend Belinda Grobler. Though they live in Queensland, Corinna is originally from Germany and Belinda from South Africa.
“We signed up before COVID for the full and then scaled down to the half. I thoroughly enjoyed it because it reminds me so much of home, the course is the best ever that I’ve done. I’ve done lots of half’s and I think this is the best, I loved it, it was so nice. The weather was perfect, everything was perfect,” said Corinna.
With the return of the Queenstown Marathon the region is expected to benefit from an injection of over $20 million into the local economy as thousands of athletes and their supporters spend time eating, drinking, and exploring all that the Queenstown Lakes District has to offer.
