Catch up with our newest Marathoner Naomi

The Gold Coast Marathon 2024 marked the largest event in its history, with both the half marathon and full marathon selling out months in advance. Renowned for its flat route along the golden sand beaches, the event features motivators running alongside participants and attracts numerous elite athletes annually.

Following Naomi's inaugural marathon, we had the opportunity to discuss her training and experience.

Naomi, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on your marathon journey with us.

What motivated you to try Running Evolution? Word of mouth really, my friend Kelly had highly recommended Lee from Running Evolution and had spoken highly about her training and support.

What was your goal? To successfully complete my first marathon.

What was your longest run prior to starting training? Half marathon 21.1km.

How long did you take to prepare for GC Marathon? I think it was 14 or 12 week training plan but I had kept running prior.

How much running had you done prior to starting training? I was always committed to running 5 days a week even if a race wasn’t planned but overall my actually running journey hadn’t began till October 2022

Did you find Running Evolution helpful for your preparation? Absolutely the training plan was fantastic and the on going support and advice was always there when needed.

What did you enjoy about it the most? Not having to think about the training, would look what I had to do the next day and just obey and get it done.

How many sessions a week did you have to do? 5 runs a week

What was the best thing about the GC Marathon? The people and the atmosphere, it’s what makes the marathon. You can do an easy 30km on your own but when you do it amongst thousands of people it is completely different, out of this world feeling.

If someone is looking to run their first marathon, what advice would you give them? Consistency! The training is the hardest part but worth it when the marathon day comes. Something you’ll never forget.

What’s next? In 10 weeks I have the Sydney Marathon 😉

Thanks for your time Naomi. We can't wait to see you conquer Sydney Marathon.