South-west runners missing out on cancelled 2021 Gold Coast marathon

They were looking forward to running along the Gold Coast's famous surf beaches and achieving milestones.

But the Gold Coast Marathon, scheduled for Sunday, was cancelled on Tuesday with parts of Queensland going into a three-day coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

Warrnambool Athletics Club (WAC) president Mark Gavin and his partner, Mel, had been preparing for their first ever marathon for months.

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He said Tuesday's announcement didn't come as a surprise.

"A few of us had been discussing on Tuesday that we were unlikely to make it because of border closures and the risk of trying to get back into Victoria so it wasn't a real surprise when they cancelled because it was what we expected was going to happen," he said.

Gavin explained about 10 people from WAC had intended to participate in the Gold Coast event.

"A few of us within that group had been training for months, really," he said.

"Some had a better lead up to it than others."

He said top runner Craig Bramley had been working towards the event for nearly a full year and was hoping to beat his personal best.

Gavin, his partner Mel Layton, and WAC member Sara Shiells, are instead going to run the marathon virtually this Sunday. It will also be Shiells' first marathon.

They intend to start at Port Fairy, do a scenic loop, and then run along the rail trail to Warrnambool breakwater.

"It will be a hillier course than the Gold Coast," Gavin said with a laugh.

Gavin said it was important they didn't let their hard work amount to nothing.

"Just because of all the training and lead up and it'll be a lot tougher this way - it's going to be a lot harder without a crowd and atmosphere but we still want to achieve it and not let the running go to waste," he said.

The trio will submit their time to the Gold Coast marathon organisers as part of the virtual concept - it allows runners to complete a marathon anywhere.

Numerous runners, not part of WAC, were also going to participate in the Gold Coast event this weekend.

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