Two Aussie Olympic Icons Will Attend BMA Mackay Marina Run

Two of Australia’s most celebrated Olympic legends will be heading to the BMA Mackay Marina Run on Sunday 2 June 24.

Olympian and London Marathon Age World Record holder, Krishna Stanton will pace out the 21.1km half marathon in Mackay at a time of 1 hr and 45 minutes while Athletics Australia Hall of Fame Inductee, Benita Willis, will also attend as an ambassador.

Krishna represented Australia at numerous World Cross Country Championships, World indoor Championships (3000m), the Commonwealth Games (10,000m) in Victoria, Canada, and the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona (3000m).

Krishna was the winner of the Sydney City to Surf in 1992, a Silver medallist in the marathon at the Manchester Commonwealth Games and 2002 and is still running to this day, having broken the World Record for the Women's Marathon in the 55-59 age group at the London Marathon in 2022.

Born in Mackay (and now residing at the Gold Coast), Benita Willis is regarded as Australia’s greatest female distance runner.  Benita has had an illustrious sporting career and is a three-time national champion in the women’s 5,000 metres. In 2004 Willis achieved one of the most significant victories in Australian athletics when she won the World Cross Country Championships.

Benita is the only Australian ever to win this race — arguably the hardest race in the world. Benita has represented Australia in four Olympics, held numerous championship records (some that still stand today) and was inducted into the Athletics Australia Hall of Fame in 2018.

Event Director, Tim said having two influential Australian runners involved in the event was a huge win for regional Queensland.

Said Tim, “These two ladies are two of the best in terms of Australian running and for our race entrants to have the opportunity to run with Olympic legends of this calibre is pretty special.”

Advised Tim, “The sport of running is really unique, it’s all about community, challenging and supporting each other and I can’t think of a more amazing way to push yourself than taking on the pace set by an Olympic champion.”

Interest in the BMA Mackay Marina Run continues to grow each year with this year’s event even attracting a small cohort of international runners.

Tim advised, “Entries in this year’s half marathon are about to hit 600 which is a record for us.  We also will be welcoming 4 international runners to Mackay which is a coup for us and for profiling our region globally.”

Now in its 16th year, the BMA Mackay Marina run will raise much needed funds for local Leukaemia Foundation services and programs.

Since its inception, the event has raised more than $600,000 to support local families in their fight against blood cancer.

Registrations for this year’s 21.1km half marathon, 10km and 5km fun runs and 3km kids dash will close Saturday 1 June at 4pm.

To register, visit mackaymarinarun.com

‍

What: BMA Mackay Marina Run
When: Sunday 2 June, 2024
Where: Mackay Marina QLD 4740
Info: www.mackaymarinarun.com

Two esteemed Olympic legends from Australia will grace the BMA Mackay Marina Run on Sunday, June 2nd.

‍