MORE than 400 people participated in the Tassal Airlie Beach Marathon Festival event on the weekend, with around 1,000 people in total, including supporters and volunteers, converging on the region.
Organisers said the event exceeded their expectations.
“There was a last-minute rush of registrations that boosted our numbers,” Whitsunday Running Club president Tim McQuoid-Mason said.
“In particular, the number of kids well exceeded our expectations with 180 entrants out of the total of 464.
“It would have been a small boost to the local economy with most visitors staying on average 2.5 nights, so a total of 250 nights.”
Mr McQuoid-Mason said the feedback from all participants had been really good.
“All the runners commented on what a great happy feeling there was out on the course,” he said.
“This is due to the fantastic job that the volunteers did on the day and the enthusiasm of the Whitsunday Running Club members. A big thank you goes out to these people.
“The size of the event means that we rely heavily on the support we get from our sponsors and I would like to thank them all.
“Our naming rights Gold Sponsor Tassal Group has been very supportive of us over the last two years. It is great to see a national brand with local interests in growing fantastic tiger prawns supporting the community.
We are also very appreciative of the support we got from all our other sponsors in particular the Silver and Bronze Sponsors: Ray White, Wilmar, Whitsunday Regional Council, Whitsunday Transit, McDonald’s, Macrossan & Amiet, HJC Refrigeration & Air Conditioning and Advance Physiotherapy.
“It was a great community event and very satisfying to see the number of locals with an interest in running.”
Tassal senior manager, projects and growth, Kylie Davies said the company was a proud sponsor of the Marathon Festival as they always aimed to align with events that encourage participation and foster healthy communities.
“We understand that events like these can’t go ahead without industry support,” she said.
“This opportunity allows us to contribute to the wider community in a way that we might not be able to directly and ensure that events as great as the Marathon Festival can continue to run, year on year.
“Tassal is proud to support an event that promotes an active and healthy lifestyle that also showcases the beauty of our region.
“This event is so important to the local community as it not only offers locals the opportunity to challenge themselves by participating but gives friends and family a chance to come together to support participants and enjoy the amazing locations along the course.”
