§staticmap(7244,4,450,250)Hello, on April 15th 2012, you’ll be organizing the Canberra Times Canberra Marathon. Can you tell us where it is located?
Canberra, unknown to many is Australia’s Capital and as such is located in the Australian Capital Territory approximately 3 hours by car from Sydney or a very short flight.
What kind of route have you set up for the runners? How would you describe it?
The route takes in all the iconic landmarks in Canberra including a lap around the Parliamentary triangle before a series of laps around the centre piece of the city, Lake Burly Griffin.
How many runners do you expect on Sunday morning? What type of runners do you plan to attract?
We had 4,000 runners in 2011 and expect to have this number closer to 8,000 in 2012. We offer a series of different runs aimed at all levels of runner including 5 and 10km fun runs, Half Marathon and Marathon.
At that time of the year, what kind of weather can we expect?
April is Autumn, a beautiful time of year in Canberra and perfect for running with cool mornings and sunny days. Temperature averages around 19 degrees Celsius.
Have you planned festivities around the marathon?
There is a small expo, which runs from the Friday Prior to the event. We are looking to grow these elements but as this is the second year of running the event our focus has so far been on the runs themselves. Keep an eye out on our website for further information www.runningfestival.com.au.
The race finished, what advice would you give a runner who has never been to Canberra before? A good restaurant, a fancy sightseeing?
Canberra is rich in culture, history and politics with museums, art galleries, hugely impressive war memorial and old and new parliament house. There are some fantastic restaurants, cafes and some trendy bars, head to www.visitcanberra.com.au for further detail.
In a single sentence, what would you tell the readers of ahotu Marathons to make them register for the Canberra Times Canberra Marathon?
This is a runners run in a runners town and perfect place to run a good time in ideal weather on a relatively flat course.
Interview with Fred Taylor, Race Director for Fairfax Events. His company organizes events such as The Sun-Herald City2Surf (World’s largest timed fun run with 85,000 in 2011), The Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon, The Age City2Sea (14km), The Sun-Herald Run4Fun (10km), The Sydney Morning Herald Sun Run (6.45km), and of course the Australian Running Festival including The Canberra Times Canberra Marathon. Fred has worked over many different events for past 10 years, and as a keen runner has thoroughly enjoyed this role for the last 4 years.