YOU'VE ENTERED THE GOLD COAST MARATHON… NOW WHAT? | 30-WEEK GAME PLAN WITH BENITA WILLIS

[00:00] If you're listening to this, congratulations on entering the Gold Coast Marathon for 2026 — In The Beginning podcast. Courtney, it's here already, we're 30 weeks out from what I think is the best marathon on the Gold Coast, in Australia — certainly the fastest marathon in Australia. If you're chasing a PB, or you want a great first marathon, the Gold Coast Marathon is the one. And it's really exciting that, 30 weeks out from the event, we're welcoming back the best coach in the marathon business, Gold

[00:31] Coast Marathon ambassador, and arguably one of the greatest distance runners this country has ever produced — well, not arguably, one of, if not the, greatest — Benita Willis. Good morning. Thank you. Lace Up Running, of course — if anybody's looking for a coach, we can't point you in a better direction. How excited are you? Oh, I'm so excited. These marathons are just so hard to get into, so I feel like people who either did the Gold Coast

[01:02] Marathon this year, wanted to do it and couldn't get in, or did the 10K or the half and now want to do the marathon — today's the day to try and get into whichever race you want. And I reckon it might sell out today. I've heard it's busy. You might already be listening to this having missed out.

[01:32] I hope not, but you'll still get some good information either way — that's not a reason to stop listening. We should say this up front: if you are listening to this and it's sold out, jump on the waitlist now, because it's like a queue — they might say it's full, but it's like trying to get into clubs back in the day, Courtney, they tell you it's full inside and you just sit patiently and wait as people drop out. With a 30-week run-up to this event, people will change their minds, people will get injured, there will be opportunities to get in. So if you haven't managed to get a spot, jump on the waitlist for sure — there'll definitely be people getting injured, that's part of it.

[02:04] Neither of us made it to last year's start line, that's true. Both my wife and brother-in-law have jumped on this year — and I think you deserve a lot of credit for this, Benita, off the back of last year's series in the lead-up to the marathon. My wife is not a marathon runner, I never thought I'd see the day she'd want to tackle a marathon. But after everything you talked about last year, and all the excitement that's come

[02:35] with running and particularly marathon running, my wife has signed up for the Gold Coast Marathon next year. That's amazing, I didn't even — I'm sure she probably didn't run much before. She did run, but she never thought her knees or ankles would have the longevity for a marathon. She does Noosa every year, she's great over the shorter distances, but the idea of a marathon was always intimidating for her.

[03:05] But off the back of the series last year and all that expert advice, she signed up. The beauty this year is we've got Benita early — we were 12 weeks out when we started last year, right at the end of the marathon, and the next question everyone's thinking is, we're 30 weeks out from race day now, what do I do? That's the big question — do I just go out the door and try to run 42K straight away, or — that's why we've got you

[03:35] here, Benita. We want to give everyone a bit of a head start, and this is general guidance, because everyone's different — some people might be starting from zero running, we know we've got entrants who've just entered with no running background at all, and some will already be running. But let's give some general advice: I've entered now, what should I be thinking about over the next 30 weeks? I think one of the biggest things is that you've got an entry, but the first thing for everyone who's entered is, I'd say

[04:06] you're on your own journey — don't scroll through Instagram comparing yourself to what so-and-so is doing. The biggest mistake you can make is getting out there and training too hard over December and January. If you've entered the Gold Coast Marathon, you've got a long time to go — I'd be training for a 5K, 10K or half marathon right through until about the start of April, and then get into your marathon block. But if you've never run before, start with walk-jogs first —

[04:37] because if you've never run before, you need to start slow and build your base. Don't worry about running hard, build the base with walk-jogs, then get into jogging — 30 minutes, then 60 minutes, building up, and then start adding sessions. So that marathon block you mentioned — how far out am I looking when I actually start knuckling down? I'd say the start of April — I'd be looking for a 10K around March, or a half marathon, and training for that between now and then. That's

[05:08] if you've already got a fair bit of running behind you — say it's not your first marathon and you're trying to improve. I'd focus on getting faster over the shorter distances first, before going into that marathon block. So what's that, 12 weeks out, 14? I'd say 12 to 14 weeks out, and then focus on the Gold Coast Marathon specifically. That's a really great tip, whether you're an experienced runner chasing a PB on the Gold Coast next year, or running your first one — calendar management right now,

[05:41] it sounds like what you're saying is that right now it's about calendar management — for the next 12 weeks or so, if you're experienced, target a short race, a half marathon or 10K. If you're less experienced, it's about building your base, and almost blocking that out on the calendar, forgetting you've even signed up for the marathon until April — maybe literally writing it down as

[06:13] well — make a note that at the start of April, that's when you start thinking about the marathon properly. Exactly — the worst thing you can do is be in really good marathon shape back in April or May, train your guts out over summer, and be fully ready three or four months early. Then you try to hold that fitness and you never can — you'll probably get injured, or you just won't be enjoying it any more by the time July comes around. That's such a great tip — and honestly, as an amateur, a

[06:44] hobby jogger, getting into too good shape too early is such a real danger, because the moment you sign up for one of these things, you know that adrenaline, those endorphins — you're like, let's get ready right now. And look, I'm not saying do nothing until April,

[07:15] but you know what I mean — you've only got so many months in a year where you can be really focused on one big goal, you can't be locked in on one race and one thing from now until July. You need to be training, obviously, but with little stepping stones and small goals along the way, not getting into shape too early — especially in Queensland, if you're training your guts out over the next few months, I reckon it just burns you out. So what's some practical advice for me? I've entered — we can confirm I'm running, Courtney Atkinson. The plan is to run. Hold on, are we breaking news here?

[07:45] Not really — I tried to run last year and didn't even make it, broke myself within the first week. So Courtney Atkinson, for the first time in your life, are you going to run it? Well, the plan is the plan, Marathon, and that's why we want to hear from Benita — you'll be on the start line in 2026, that's the goal. Have you asked Benita to coach you? I haven't asked her yet. Would you like to? Yeah, that was the plan last year too.

[08:17] I know, but you go out and do silly things — I think I went and crossed to Mauritius or somewhere, got myself a stress fracture, and got nowhere, didn't even make the start line. So no, the plan is — yeah, I'm on board, we want to talk this through, and get out there and run fast. For people out there listening, if you've signed up to the Gold Coast Marathon, understand that history will be made here. I know you don't want to make this about you, Courtney, but one of the greatest ever endurance athletes this

[08:47] country has produced is going to be coached by one of the greatest ever distance runners this country has produced, at the Gold Coast Marathon next year — Courtney Atkinson, coached by Benita Willis, on the start line in 2026. Well, I've got good mates I grew up running with whose goals Benita's coaching got them to — my brother, who Benita coached, hit his goal too. So I always look for the expertise of someone who's done it before. Is it too early to declare a goal? Yes.

[09:17] Do you have a number in mind, even if you don't say it out loud? I have a number in mind that Benita will probably completely disagree with — I've had it in mind since maybe the first episode of last year's series, a number I probably could have run maybe ten years ago. Whether that number's still realistic, we won't say. Back to me — give me something practical, I want to get moving, I've entered, I'm excited, what do I need to do?

[09:47] Things like long runs, for example — should I have a goal that by Christmas, by January, I'm hitting certain distances? Speaking generally here, not elite level, but wanting a good base — can you run us through some steps, maybe some smaller goals along the way? For someone like you, you're probably running most days already? Not at the moment, but yeah — I'd be looking at long

[10:18] runs of about 90 minutes, maybe stretching to two hours every few weeks, but you don't need to go further than that. I'd do a couple of sessions a week — an interval session, a tempo run, and a few easy runs. Focus your training more on those interval sessions, getting in some hills, some trails, rather than obsessing over hitting exact paces — focus more on heart rate for the tempo runs, especially given how brutal and humid it's been the last few weeks.

[10:50] But looking towards a 10K — I know there'll be one at T100 in March, we're excited about that, we're on board for that too — I'd enter a race like that so you're not just training through no-man's-land thinking, I'm training for the Gold Coast Marathon but it's in July so I've got nothing to aim at. A few little races help, having another goal before you're properly thinking about the marathon. Even a few 5Ks for you, since you probably haven't raced anything — 5Ks could nearly break

[11:20] you. Last time I saw you run a 5K it nearly broke Kirra Parker too — you went down to pace your brother, didn't end so well. The thing that jumped out to me straight away when you asked how long your long runs should be — everybody, notice Benita didn't mention distance at all, straight into time instead. It's not about 20K or 30K or even 10K, it's about time. Exactly, and I say time because

[11:50] in summer especially it's quite hot, and you don't want to be obsessively hitting a certain number of Ks every week. When you get into proper marathon prep we do talk distances, because pacing matters and it's good to get a feel for marathon pace — but right now, take the pressure off. If you feel good, run a bit harder on the long run, if you don't, go easier. But time-based work, especially this time of year — even in interval sessions and tempo runs, I'd go by time

[12:21] rather than distance and pace. I love that focus on time, because the first thing I think when I sign up for a marathon is, I've got to start building my long runs up instantly — how long should I be running, two hours, two and a half? Everyone falls into that trap, doesn't matter if you're at the pointy end or just starting, it's human nature, more, more, more. But the fact that 90 minutes, for someone with a good running background, is genuinely fine — that's actually kind of refreshing.

[12:51] Once you get up to a full two hours, heading out for a two-hour run, there's a real mental barrier there too — so hearing that for the first couple of months it's 90 minutes, maybe a two-hour run every so often, that's exciting, because then I'm thinking, OK, no stress yet. And if you're someone on the other end of it, where 90 minutes might be the furthest you've ever run, obviously it's a different approach — it's not one size fits all. That was the case with Bronte last

[13:22] year, right — you built her up. How far had she run before that? She'd only ever run a half marathon, that was the longest. Her longest run before the marathon was probably about 30K, at the Gold Coast 30, before she'd even done the marathon itself. Whereas someone like you could handle that kind of volume pretty quickly, even in the off-season. But if I'm someone who's entered and I'm a complete first-timer — hopefully you've run a half or

[13:57] a bit of distance, but even if this is genuinely your first time stepping up, and you want to try and run the whole marathon, or at least get through it at a reasonable pace — what's the starting point? If you're going in and you haven't even been running 5K, haven't been running 30 minutes at all, I'd start with a walk-jog programme where you're hitting a 30-minute continuous run after about four weeks. Week one might be four sets of one-minute jog, three-minute walk, done on three days.

[14:29] Week two might be five-minute jog, two-minute walk, and week three you're gradually increasing the jogging and decreasing the walking until you get to about 30 minutes continuous. Then I'd keep increasing that length until you can run 45 to 60 minutes a few times a week, and only then would we add in a few proper sessions. If you're new to running, I'd also take a full week off running probably every six to eight weeks, or a

[15:01] real deload week. So keep some cross-training in there if you're new, don't try to run every single day — it's better for stress-fracture prevention and bone health to run every second day rather than on consecutive days. That's especially true for people who are a bit older, where back-to-back running days can be tough on the bones. So we add in cross-training, aim for running every few days, maybe three or four runs a week max, and you can absolutely get

[15:32] a marathon done off that. Physios all over the Gold Coast and Australia must be rubbing their hands together every marathon, every run — they're specialising just in running now, they've got enough clients from running alone to run dedicated run-physio practices. Sorry, would you say — if someone's signed up and they literally don't even have running shoes yet, is 30 weeks enough? Absolutely, you've got 30 weeks from day one, that's plenty to get there.

[16:03] And if you're new to the marathon, never done one before, I wouldn't be going in aiming to break four hours or any specific time. Don't go in with a goal time — just go in wanting to finish it. It might be, I want to run most of the way, or run the second half faster than the first, and it may not even be about pace at all. It's about getting to the start line healthy, probably slightly undertrained, and being able to finish, rather than doing too much or stressing that you haven't done

[16:36] enough. Making the start line is the biggest thing, and enjoying it — and once you've done it, if you enjoyed it, and I'm sure you will if you do the right things, then the next one you can take a bit more risk with, train at a certain pace, increase your Ks, your volume, your intensity. Your first one is really about being slightly undertrained but still doing the work — but it's very important

[17:06] you stay gradual, right up until March even. A lot of what I've learned about bone health has come from Brad Beer at POGO, listening to his podcast and from people I've worked with that he's treated. So there's a difference between being underprepared and simply not ready — there's a fine line, and if you're listening to Benita's words thinking you can just rock up untrained, there's a difference between

[17:36] being slightly underdone, and not being ready at all. That's a really good point, because the majority of people I've known in the last few years doing their first marathon have had a good experience when the pacing's been right — Bronte's a great example, our first-time marathoner last year, she wanted to run quicker, kept going out faster than planned in other races, but always came

[18:08] back to the pacing, and in the end ran it easy. You finish thinking you could have done more, but you just don't know, because if you go out too quick, generally the wheels fall off. I've never heard of anyone having a bad experience going out under-paced or a little easier, coming home feeling great, and walking away wanting to do another one — but I've seen plenty blow up who never want to go back and do it again. I'll say to anybody listening — if you've

[18:39] got the time, go back and listen to the Gold Coast Marathon series from last year, all the episodes are still up, you can follow the whole journey. Ignore the bit at the start where I get injured and have to pull out, but there's some amazing insight throughout that series, from Bronte and Benita, for a first-time marathon runner — so many tricks and tips in there. So if you've got the time, or even just want to listen to one episode, go and listen to how Bronte talks about the race afterwards, and all the

[19:09] tricks she picked up along the way from you, all the training, all the benefit she got from having the right approach and strategy for the Gold Coast Marathon. I'd recommend going back to listen to that final episode. Can I ask about this time of year — it's marathon day, I've just signed up for my first marathon, or I'm chasing a PB, but I'm now facing a month of Christmas parties, New Year's Eve, all the festive stuff. As a coach, do you talk to your

[19:41] athletes about this time of year, about over-indulging or whatever it might be? Yeah, that's a good question — even for myself, I've got two little kids, trying to get decorations up, hide presents from a three-year-old who finds everything in the house, and you feel like you've got no time to rest and you're getting bad sleep. So I always tell anyone I'm coaching, the worst thing you can do is put too much pressure on yourself training-wise, especially in December.

[20:13] It's an important time of year to celebrate with family, enjoy Christmas — you can still run, and running makes us feel good, gets us out of the house doing something, even if you're away for Christmas — but don't put pressure on yourself if a session wasn't as good as hoped, if you planned two hours and only got 80 minutes. Just don't excessively pressure yourself, and don't worry about pace in sessions, just get the effort in.

[20:44] Do what you can, as well as you can — if you miss a few runs, you miss a few runs, you'll get properly focused as we head into next year. It's not something you'll look back on at the Gold Coast Marathon and think, I wish I'd trained better in December. When I was an athlete we always got told, whatever you do in November, no one will remember — same idea with December. I know you've kind of covered it as we've been chatting, but if there were two or three

[21:17] things you've seen that reliably lead to a bad outcome or injury, what would you flag — don't do this? I think the number one thing is don't smash all your long runs. There've been people I've seen where I deliberately make sessions a bit easier this time of year, sometimes only one proper session a

[21:47] week, and then people think, I'm not training hard enough, so they go and smash their long run instead. If you do that constantly it just leaves you tired for the week ahead, especially on top of Christmas stuff and the weather. So number one is keep your runs easy, especially the long run. Number two — don't stress if you miss a run, and don't try to make it up.

[22:17] If you miss Tuesday and try to shift it to Wednesday, then Wednesday to Thursday, you end up backing up the rest of the week trying to cram everything in. If you miss a day, you miss a day, move on to the next one — and if the next day happens to be a rest day, just take the rest day, so you've had two rest days, don't stress about it. And the third thing — don't wake up every morning thinking, I've got to run a marathon in July, am I ready. Don't do that every morning in

[22:47] December, don't have the countdown sitting on your sun-visor mirror. That's exactly the whole idea behind why we wanted to have this chat now — the marathon's sold out,

[23:18] or will be by the time you're listening to this, probably by tomorrow morning if it isn't already. Let's just get on the front foot here — last year we started 12 weeks in, which was great because we had a heap of crew following along, but if you get the information

[23:50] earlier, you know what's coming. So go back and listen early. We haven't fully decided how we're going to structure this year's series — we might have a slight tunnel vision on it, given one Courtney Atkinson is heading to the start line for the very first time. I think we'll still need to be a guide for everyone generally, but it's also worth pointing out, Benita's been lovely here, but if you want help directly, laceuprunning.com.au — that's genuinely where I'd go for help, though we'll obviously have listeners in Melbourne, maybe overseas too. Benita can coach you online, she's got her team as well — but having people around you, not trying to do this all on your own, is a key message. You might already have a running club, people around you with great experience, but ask the questions, because

[24:20] even for me, with thirty years of running behind me, I still want someone to play devil's advocate — even doing it on your own, you should be asking questions, because a lot of the time you're not going to see, as an individual, what you're either missing or overdoing. You need someone outside looking in. From my perspective too, that support-group point is such a great one, Courtney, everything you just said.

[24:51] But Benita — I'd also advise people, and I realise the irony coming from a podcast that also posts on social media, be cautious of marathon hype on social media. The running boom is fantastic, but if it's saturating your feed every single morning and day, nobody has the mental capacity to sustain that focus for 30 weeks straight, you need to

[25:21] balance it. You've signed up today, that's great, that's the most important step, because without that first step you never get to the start line — and mentally, having taken that hard first step of signing up, now just take a breath and structure it, as you said, through to April. Now that we're talking about that kind of structure and mentally preparing yourself, you mentioned some of the other

[25:52] races as a way to structure the next 30 weeks. If we're talking 12 to 14 weeks for the marathon block itself, that leaves 16 to 18 weeks before you even start that block — what would you advise people look out for in that period, depending on where they're listening from? What sort of races should they target? Anything shorter than a marathon — I'd look at a half marathon, there's a decent one in Ballarat in April,

[26:23] that could be good, or a 10K around there. If you can find a 10K in March — we mentioned T100 has a 10K on the Gold Coast. That's literally a test run, isn't it, because the first 10K of that race is the exact same as the Gold Coast Marathon's first 10K, so if you're going to do it anyway, you may as well test it out on the actual course. That makes a lot of sense — it's similar in that, obviously T100's perfect for that, but any flat road race is going to feel similar to the Gold Coast Marathon. But you don't need to run a

[26:53] marathon 12 weeks out to prepare for a marathon — the idea is that running faster over 10K or a half marathon actually helps your marathon. If you don't know what you're capable of in the marathon, a half marathon around 12 to 14 weeks out gives us a good indication, and if we're planning your training and pacing off that, we'll have a solid idea of what pace to target. But if you're new to running and new to marathoning, it doesn't matter

[27:24] as much — a half marathon in February, March or April is still good preparation either way. Going back to T100 — your first 10K of the Gold Coast Marathon is literally the same course as the T100 10K, I think, and the organisers might correct me if I've got the number wrong, but I think they've got room for up to 7,000 people in that 10K race. So if this is your first marathon, what a great way

[27:57] to replicate the atmosphere of the start line, on the actual course, with that scale of field lining up — you'll get the full vibe of what the Gold Coast will feel like on marathon day, wrapped around a terrific T100 event that finishes in Surfers Paradise. When you were racing Olympics and world championships, how important was it to know the track or course beforehand? In triathlon, the year

[28:28] before an Olympics we'd do a test event, people would be scouring the course, knowing every hill, every bump. Was it the same for you? No — before I ran the Chicago Marathon, where I ran 2:22, I didn't look at the course once, just ran it. Some courses I did look at — I ran a half marathon in Portugal that had something like a hundred turns, six laps of a really short,

[29:00] brutal circuit. That one was worth looking at, seeing where the water stations were, because it was a hot race too. With the Gold Coast Marathon I think it's good to check the course in terms of where the drinks stations are going to be, but I don't think — some courses, if they're genuinely tough with hills and technical sections, it's more important to study. We know Gold Coast is fairly flat, so it's more about

[29:31] knowing roughly where you'll be on the course at a given point, rather than the technical detail. T100 would be a great way to see it firsthand — I'll actually be using it as a leadout, running the T100 myself, though I won't be running the Gold Coast Marathon, because I've been banned. I was told after last year's race I'm banned from competing —

[30:02] apparently I did too good a job. So sadly I won't be running it, but I'll be back on commentary duties for the organisers, hopefully with my mate Pete Murray again. And I'm genuinely excited, because of the number of people I already know who've entered, the number I know are planning to enter, and the number I met through the marathon last year and through this podcast reaching out — I think I'm going to know most of the field by name.

[30:33] It's wild that we're already 30 weeks out, it's come around so quickly, I'm buzzing. I wanted to pick up on pacing, since you mentioned it earlier — for someone running the marathon who's already got a bit of running behind them, how do I work out my pacing for these long runs over the next few weeks? Just don't smash them. For someone like you, Courtney, depending on what you think your marathon pace might be, I

[31:03] always think your long run should be slower than marathon pace — and the faster you are, the more that matters, honestly. Some people run their long run at close to marathon pace, I've coached people who do that, but personally, if I ran my long run at marathon pace I wouldn't be able to get up for sessions the rest of the week, I'd be shattered. There are

[31:33] plenty of people out there who consistently run their long run too hard. But if you're new, with no real sense of pacing, you might go out and run 5K at 7-minute-K pace — for those people you mentioned earlier, where finishing is the goal, not a time, how do they pace it? I'd look at your long run through heart rate as a big indicator, making sure it's not going over about 150, or even 140, though that's tricky too because everyone's

[32:03] different depending on what equipment they've got. Is there also a feel-based cue, something with breathing? I always think you shouldn't be puffing — if you're running with people and can't talk properly, you're running too hard. But a lot of us do long runs solo too, and that's often when the pace creeps up. Most of us have watches these days, and if you've got even semi-accurate heart-rate

[32:35] pacing, that's worth using — you can test to find your actual max heart rate, since a lot of people just use 220-minus-age, which is very general. But with long runs, you shouldn't be finishing them absolutely hammered, you should be able to do it again the next day. It comes back to the puffing, and how you feel — if it feels a bit hard, you're probably going too hard, back off. Even these days I can only run after 9am once

[33:08] I've dropped the kids at daycare, and I haven't even been doing long runs lately because it's been hard to fit in — same problem you've got, Liam, you probably can't run until — no, exactly, I'm going for a run after we finish here, it's 29 degrees outside already. Like Benita said, you should be able to hold a conversation pace — and I'd say to everyone out there, it doesn't count if you're running with someone who's doing all the talking. When Courtney and I run the trails, I can talk for the

[33:38] first fifteen minutes, and then he talks for the next forty-five because I can't get a word out. We call it a talk-and-run. What about — that's great on pacing and prep, I think if you're preparing for the Gold Coast 30 weeks out, you've got a pretty good sense now of roughly how to approach this next stretch. What about from a gym perspective — if you're a first-timer,

[34:08] or someone looking to improve, and strength training hasn't been part of your routine, is that something worth investigating now, 30 weeks out? Yeah, good question — strength isn't something you want to start brand-new 12 weeks out, you can't take on everything at once once you're in marathon prep. But if you're not in marathon prep yet, right now's the perfect time to get a good strength programme going.

[34:39] If you can afford a personal trainer who understands running, get a programme from them — even if you only see them once a week and they give you something to do two or three times a week yourself. If you're over 25, even over 20, and the older you get, the more strength matters too. Hill running is a form of strength work as well, so try to run where there are hills at the moment, even though we know Gold Coast is flat — hills are still worth doing specifically. Here are some hills

[35:09] on the Gold Coast — I've found them all at this point. What about recovery, because if you jump on social media, especially just after Black Friday sales, you could end up with an infrared sauna, an ice bath, and your

[35:43] own NormaTec boots — you could fit out a whole gym off the back of that. What do you keep it simple with, what do you actually advise your athletes on? I think the number one thing is sleep — try to get around eight hours if you can. I've got a ten-month-old, so I'm still struggling with sleep myself, and it really wrecks productivity. Try to build good sleep habits, though it can be tricky through December with parties — but think about recovery as a whole: sleep, nutrition, eating well where you can, building good habits there. Hydration's a big one too, maybe electrolytes after running in this heat.

[36:16] People tend to only think about nutrition once they're deep in marathon prep, but if you build good habits now, the better you'll recover generally. Sleep is very underrated — get your sleep habits sorted now and you'll be in a great place by March or April. Those are probably the biggest things — as for NormaTec boots and recovery centres, they're

[36:47] the one-percenters. Above all that, I'd say invest in the things that are free — sleep being the main one. Couldn't agree more — Courtney and I talked about this on the podcast not long ago, I tried running off a night of bad sleep, a couple of nights in a row, and couldn't get through 5K. It wasn't that I physically couldn't run 5K, my body was just wrecked. I had a couple of nights of

[37:17] genuinely great sleep and went out and did a 20K run. I hadn't gotten that much fitter in three days, my body was just telling me we can't even do 5K right now because you're not sleeping properly, you're skipping the free stuff. It wasn't about missing hot-and-cold recovery or saunas, it was purely sleep. Great tip heading into this time of year. Now, the other big question — running's a simple sport, you need some clothes and shoes. On shoes, without getting into

[37:47] specific models — you see the ASICS Gold Coast Marathon branding everywhere, right, that's a genuinely record-breaking partnership between ASICS and the Gold Coast Marathon. I wish I knew the exact number, but it's a huge partnership, and ASICS is one of the main reasons the Gold Coast Marathon is what it is today — hugely successful, and it keeps going.

[38:17] What I'm interested in — as someone getting into a proper running phase, what do you recommend around shoes? Not which brand, but should I be cycling through a few pairs, or is one pair enough, and how far should I run in a pair before replacing them? I'd cycle through shoes — if you can afford two or three pairs, wear racing flats for sessions, not full carbon super shoes.

[38:51] I wouldn't be wearing super shoes at this time of year, since we're not racing anything big right now, no need to worry about that yet. But cycling through a few pairs helps vary the stress on your body — doesn't even need to be different brands, could be different models of the same brand. And varying surfaces too — don't just run on concrete or the bike path all the time, get onto grass, onto trails where you can, because it varies the stress and

[39:24] helps prevent injuries. I ran on sand the other day and it was hard work — up on the Sunshine Coast, ran 5K, not in ASICS mind you, and that might have been the mistake. Got blisters, took the shoes off and put them straight in the bin. Whereabouts on the Sunshine Coast? Down at Maroochydore. Did you run on the beach? No, I ran on the path in my shoes and got

[39:56] 5K down the path, shocking blisters, took the shoes off, binned them, and ran back on the sand in front of Alexandra Headland. You're doing well throwing away shoes like that. They were pretty worn already, I'd learned my lesson — some of these looked like they'd been through a lot of miles. I used to train with someone who threw their shoes out when they got back. I did pay full price for those, though — sorry, actually no, I do what a lot of runners do and wait for the sale, those were sale-price shoes. I found this while researching for

[40:26] everybody out there who might not know — the Gold Coast Marathon's ASICS partnership. The race we've just had marked 30 years of ASICS and the Gold Coast Marathon together, a tremendous partnership, and they've signed on as presenting partner through to 2032, through to the Olympics. ASICS is — I've run in ASICS for a long, long time, and if you're looking to try a new shoe, go try a pair on in-store, because

[40:56] we always say find what's right for your own feet, but if your feet suit them, ASICS are genuinely a great shoe to run in, especially for someone entering running for the first time. Can I quickly touch on the other races, because there'll be people listening who've missed out on the marathon because it sold out so fast — there's the China Airlines half marathon, plus the 10K and 5K events. If they can't get into the marathon, would you recommend jumping into one of

[41:28] the shorter events? Definitely — I think you want to be part of the weekend, running across the whole weekend if you can, and if you can't get into the marathon, try a shorter race, and maybe sign up for a marathon later in the year somewhere else. It's not the be-all and end-all that you have to run the marathon in July, there are so many races around, it's about getting out there and doing something. Honestly, I think it's harder to train for a hard, fast 5K or 10K than a marathon in some ways,

[41:58] because the training's much faster and more intense, especially at my age now. Just because a race is shorter doesn't mean it's easier. We talk a lot about the marathon because it's the Gold Coast Marathon, but the half marathon's huge too — the China Airlines half last year was unbelievable, a massive event, and there are plenty of people whose goal is purely the half, and that's

[42:29] a completely valid goal on its own. Andy Buchanan actually talked about how a half marathon is arguably harder for him — the Australian men's marathon record holder — because you're basically redlining the entire way. So don't let anyone shame you into thinking a shorter distance is somehow easier.

[43:00] You can't relax in a half like Andy described, you've got to run close to that red line the whole time, whereas in a marathon you've got to relax for stretches, because if you're near that red line the entire way, you simply can't hold it. So it's a very different approach to the racing and the intensity involved. That sounds better to me right now, not redlining — hopefully I've picked the right event, Liam, because not redlining sounds really nice. I'm genuinely excited that it's December 2nd and the three of us are back together talking marathon running — and I'm not even running myself. For anybody out there who's signed up, I hope the warm, fuzzy feeling you've got

[43:34] right now about this stays with you as long as it can — you can't sustain that emotion for the full 30 weeks, but enjoy the glow of having entered the ASICS Gold Coast Marathon for 2026, and hopefully we've given you some information to help you relax a bit. If you're in a position to get some professional coaching, reach out to Benita at Lace Up Running. Stay subscribed here with us —

[44:06] we'll be doing more of these as we get closer to the event. And the T100 10K, again, we can't recommend it enough, it fits so well into your training block — jump on the website for that, it's happening the March 21st–22nd weekend. And welcome to the marathon club, enjoy the running, don't get injured, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, stay safe, look after one another, and we'll see you in 2026. Thanks, Benita.

[44:36] Thanks.