The CrossingKirra To Southport
On Familiar Ground
My first full day in Queensland followed familiar Gold Coast Marathon territory, with a few kilometres beside Markus, a late lunch with Ian Verrico and a finish in Southport.
My first full day in Queensland started at Kirra Beach Tourist Park and followed the coast north through Coolangatta, Tugun and Currumbin.
I stopped for coffee and a fruit smoothie after the first 10.5 kilometres, then Markus from Run Forest Run joined me for a few kilometres. His training advice and encouragement had been a big part of my preparations, and now he was walking beside me on my first full day in Queensland.
Before long I was near the southern turnaround point of the Gold Coast Airport Marathon.
What a thoroughly rotten place to have to walk through 😆
There was something very different about being back on the Gold Coast. After months of unfamiliar highways, roadhouses and towns, I knew these places. I had run the marathon here the year before. Even the landmarks along the route meant something to me.
I continued through Palm Beach, around Burleigh Heads and then on through Miami, Mermaid Beach and Broadbeach. The weather was beautiful and the ocean was rarely far away.
After the third session I made a late lunch visit to the Wyndham resort and caught up with my Facebook friend Ian Verrico. We had connected online through common interests and chatted on the phone once or twice. Ian was a former personal trainer, and it was his speedwork plan that had helped me get my 10k time under an hour.
The final 6.7 kilometres took me through Surfers Paradise and Main Beach before I walked into Southport. We stayed at Broadwater Tourist Park that night, not too far from the Gold Coast Marathon finish line and the supporters tent alley that any regular participant would know very well.
Earlier that morning I had invited people to join me for the final walk into Brisbane on Thursday, or for the five-kilometre victory lap at South Bank parkrun on Saturday.
Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney did not seem that long ago. Another 32.3 kilometres were done, and Brisbane was literally just up the road.
Images From The Day
