Behind the race - An insight into the Sydney Marathon with Wayne Larden
Wayne oversees the 2023 edition of the Sydney Marathon
In this interview series, Ahotu will be speaking with the people behind some of the most unique races across the globe. We’ll be discussing the history of the event, challenges and how to overcome them, attracting sponsors, reaching new runners and more!
Thanks for joining us Wayne. Could you please introduce yourself and the race for those who aren't familiar?
Thank you for having me! My name is Wayne Larden and I’m the Race Director of the Sydney Marathon and founder/owner of Pont3, a sports event management company which oversees a number of races and events in Australia.
The Sydney Marathon is our flagship event, which brings thousands of participants from across Australia (and the globe) to New South Wales (NSW) in September of each year.
I’ve been involved in the sport for a long time - as a former competitive athlete, I competed in the World Cross-Country Championships (in 1987, ‘93, ‘94 & ‘95) as well as coming 2nd in the Australian 10,000m track championships and 3rd in the Australian Marathon Championships, with a debut marathon time of 2hr 16m 04s.
I suffered a lot of injuries and eventually stopped racing after missing out on the Atlanta and Sydney Olympic teams. I continued to work in the sport in various capacities but on the operational side!
How did you get into the industry and into directing the Sydney Marathon?
In 1993, I was recruited straight out of university and my first real job was Assistant Race Director of the Sydney City2Surf, now one of the world’s biggest fun runs. I fell in love with Event Management and found the thrill of putting everything together and feeling the excitement of recreational and elite runners on the start line, about to challenge themselves to do something special, equally as rewarding as running itself myself.
I was tasked with conducting the first operational assessment of the Sydney Olympic marathon course in 1993 as the (then new) Sydney Marathon was established to conduct an annual event on the Olympic course leading up to Sydney 2000. I applied for the Race Director role but wasn’t successful, but remained in touch with the event through commentary and other functions. This event eventually went bankrupt before the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
In 2001 I started my own brand/marketing agency and eventually was asked to consult to the organisers of the Sydney Marathon in 2004. The Sydney Marathon then only had 12,000 participants, mostly in the shorter events with just 1,200 in the marathon. Through this I managed to acquire the rights to the Sydney Marathon and became the Race Director in 2005. This is when I founded Pont3.
How long has the race been taking place and how has it grown?
Prior to the Sydney Olympics in 2000, there was an original version of the Sydney Marathon. However in its current form, the Sydney Marathon was established as a Legacy event of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and remains the only participation legacy event of those Games.
The race has grown from around 1,000 marathon entries, to over 16,000 last year and we are seeing significant growth so far this year!
120,000+ spectators line the route at the 2023 edition of the Sydney Marathon
What changes have you noticed in the local (and Australian) running scene during your time in the industry?
Historically, marathon running in Australia was not very strong. The bucket list event in running for the general community was the City2Surf (a 14k race) or a half marathon. Only the serious runners took part in the marathon. As a result the bigger races in Australia have traditionally had pretty low participation numbers. This was the case right up until a few years ago, with Melbourne Marathon being the previous biggest marathon in the country with 8,500 participants.
A big change in recent years has been the digital era and how we engage with runners (or people interested in running) and our ability to target them more effectively through digital marketing. Our engagement levels have increased considerably and in 2023 we saw massive growth, alongside growth for all of the major marathons in Australia.
We are seeing huge popularity in community run clubs which are attracting an entirely new demographic to running, a much younger audience who are falling in love with the sport and enjoying the comradery of these groups. Some of these groups are hosting 2,000 people a couple of times a week with a big focus on social interactions and just having fun. It really is the start of a revolution in running in Australia and we are seeing this flow into actual event entries across the country.
We believe these trends are having a significant impact, we grew from 5,300 entries in the marathon in 2022 to 16,883 in 2023, a huge leap in the right direction. Alongside delivering an amazing event, despite hot weather, Sydney Marathon managed to pass our first year of the Abbott World Marathon Majors Candidacy criteria.
Where do Sydney Marathon participants typically come from?
Last year we had a 217% increase in international participation, with 81 countries represented. In 2023, we saw a massive increase in first time marathon runners with 48% of the field doing their first marathon. This is encouraging as it means we are reaching new audiences and this will support future growth. We also saw a 370% increase in interstate participation and a 183% increase in local participation.
Wider community engagement is increasing too. Last year we had significant crowds on the course with 27 entertainment zones spread across the field of play and over 120,000 spectators. Our 3 hour live broadcast was distributed to 180 countries with a global reach of 652 million. We continue to strive to make the Sydney Marathon a truly international marathon weekend.
Participants from 80+ countries enjoy the 2023 edition of the race
Sydney is currently in the WMM candidacy process. Does that change the event from a participant perspective?
In 2022, about 6 weeks before the Sydney Marathon we signed the Abbott World Marathon Majors Candidacy Agreement and immediately set about trying to realign the community’s perception of what the running bucket list should include (of course, the marathon!). We spent a lot of time developing programs to inspire people, motivate them and support them to allay some of the fears people had about the marathon and making them believe in themselves. We focussed a lot of attention on building running communities through our run clubs and engaging with existing run clubs and bringing them together.
Moving into 2024, we have just had approved some major changes to our start, our course and the format of the Sydney Marathon, which has traditionally included a marathon, half, 10k and 3.5k family run. This year we will see the start move back to the original Olympic start area of North Sydney Oval providing much more space for us to cater for the light speed growth of the event. We have a new course that provides two lanes the entire way with a much smoother track. We’ve moved the marathon to the first event off the start line at 6am as a hot weather contingency and we are focused on our main goal of becoming the 7th Abbott World Marathon Major in 2025.
Aside from the key operational changes mentioned, we will be spending a lot of time and effort to develop the next stage of engaging the broader community in the Sydney Marathon and bring people out of their homes and onto the marathon course to cheer on our runners on their journey to the Opera House finish line. This is an area we need to work on to ensure we evolve into a true Abbott World Marathon Major and deliver the sort of experience people expect from a Major.
In order to entice runners to support the Sydney Marathon whilst a Candidate Race we created the Sydney Marathon Candidacy Club, aimed at motivating Australians and international runners to run. Another important piece of the puzzle to ensure all of Australia’s running community gets behind our bid to become a World Major is to reiterate that this will be Australia’s World Marathon Major and encouraging runners from right around the country to get behind it. And we’ve seen the hype building in support of this, even beyond traditional borders and parochialism of supporting their home state marathon. This has been encouraging.
How are you promoting the race internationally?
We focus a lot of our marketing spend on key Asian markets where we have similar time zones and the flight times are (relatively) short to Australia. Throughout Asia there is an amazing opportunity to engage marathon runners and running enthusiasts where participation numbers are also increasing. Markets like Japan, China, India, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and of course in New Zealand.
We’ve seen the use of Key Opinion Leaders and Ambassadors in these key markets and also in Australia as having a pivotal role in influencing runners in these markets and we’ve done a lot of work on ground with the support of Destination NSW and our International Travel Program (ITP) partners. Our ITP program led by Jeff Adams from Marathon Tours & Travel has evolved very successfully with strong representation around the world. We expect this program to continue to evolve and it will be an important part of our strategy moving forward as we look to become an Abbott World Marathon Major.
We have exhibited at and taken key staff to all of the Abbott World Marathon Majors expos as well as a number of other events throughout Asia. It is important to us for a number of reasons, not the least of which is for our own education and learning from the Worlds best race directors so we can deliver the sort of experience runners expect of a (future) Abbott World Marathon Major.
We are also pleased to be working with international partners like Ahotu & World’s Sports Group to increase our digital presence and reach a wider variety of runners from across the globe!
The Sydney Marathon aims to become the latest addition to the Abbott WMM series
How is 2024 shaping up so far for the Sydney Marathon?
We are well on track with entries 60% up on last years record numbers. This growth is also being experienced by the other major marathons in Australia with both Melbourne and the Gold Coast Marathon already sold out, a first in this country.
In 2024 we will host the Abbott World Marathon Majors Wanda Age Group World Championships also, the first time this Championship has been delivered by a non-Major which reflects the confidence the best Race Directors in the world have in the Sydney Marathon and Pont3 team. Were excited to host this prestigious age group championship and show off our beautiful city and event to the worlds best marathoners.
We are required to meet the WMM 104 Point criteria for a second time in 2024 to become the 7th World Major. There have been a large number of changes already mentioned to achieve this and it has required an All-of-Government approach to implement these changes. We have amazing support from the NSW Government, which is crucial to our success and important funding and strategic partnership with Destination NSW to allow us to deliver what is required.
What can participants expect from the course?
One of the most compelling reasons to run the Sydney Marathon is undoubtedly the beauty of the city itself and the beauty of the marathon course which runs over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and takes in all of Sydney’s tourist sites. The course boasts beautiful harbour views, central business district (CBD) sections, parklands, cathedrals and what we believe is the most spectacular marathon finish line in the world, running straight at the World Heritage Sydney Opera House to finish on the forecourt surrounded by Sydney Harbour and the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Runners will enjoy 7 hour cut-off from the last runner to cross the start line, along with the opportunity to experience traditional First Nations Australian cultural activities. Sydney is a naturally undulating city so the main attraction will be the experience, sights and scenery, not to mention meeting many of the friendliest people in the world!
We are a World Athletics Platinum Label marathon, the only one in Oceania and expect to attract some of the biggest names in world marathon running to Australia on the 15th of September this year.
As a race director, what is your favourite thing about putting on the event?
My two favourite times of the race, of course, are the start and the finish. The start has such a different energy and emotion, anticipation, fear, excitement, camaraderie and a keen desire to embark on their journey. People in deep reflection, thinking about loved ones, questioning themselves and their fortitude, reassuring themselves that they’ve done what it takes, groups of people there together, supporting each other and encouraging them to believe in themselves.
The finish is equally fulfilling, with runners experiencing a whole host of other emotions, relief, satisfaction, deep emotion of achieving something amazing, or something for someone special in their lives, unadulterated joy and happiness! I love seeing people become (within themselves) a marathon runner!
I especially love seeing the final 30 minutes before the end where people have battled hard to get there, who’ve fought their body and mind to make it through 42.2km, in some cases the almost disbelief that they made it….then transformed into true joy that they’re a marathoner also!
Seeing the Pont3 team pull together and deliver something that is so complex, stressful, tiring, precise, and overcome all the challenges that a marathon presents (not just to the runners) to the organisation is hugely rewarding. Seeing how much they care about delivering a truly amazing experience to our participants and their dedication and perseverance, much like a runner.
Runners enjoy an iconic finish line location
What other events do you & Pont3 organise?
We do deliver other events and in 2023 organised the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia. We also delivered the World Pride March in Sydney and own the Sydney Harbour 5k & 10k. We deliver the Bondi to Manly Ultra and a number of other events in New South Wales.
We believe Our Pont3 team is the best in the business and we are proud to deliver amazing experiences to thousands participants each year.
Any must-see recommendations for participants during their visit to Sydney?
Sydney is a truly amazing city and Australians will welcome you with open arms to our shores. There are so many great things to see in Sydney, amazing restaurants, bars, great coffee, and incredible tourist activities to enjoy. Sydney Harbour itself is one of the most beautiful waterways in the world. The marathon will take you through and past most of the tourist icons including the Sydney Harbour Bridge, St Marys Cathedral, The Rocks precinct, Hyde Park, Royal Botanic Gardens, Centennial Parklands, the CBD, Pyrmont, and so much more. It is truly one of the most breathtaking courses you will ever do!
Slightly further afield in New South Wales, I’d also recommend the Blue Mountains and Hunter Valley (one of our major Wine regions). Australia is a huge country, you certainly won’t be short of things to do and places to see!
Are there any partners / sponsors you would like to shout out?
All of our partners are important, but I have to firstly shout out to Destination NSW and the NSW Government who have invested an incredible amount of time, intellect, energy and funding to ensure we have what we need to deliver the Sydney Marathon to the Abbott World Marathon Majors. Our long term partners like ASICS, GU, Porsche, Transurban, scholl and Daily Telegraph. All of these partners contribute so much to ensuring we can deliver a great event.
What are your hopes for the Sydney Marathon for the next few years?
We are looking forward to continuing to attract runners from across the world to Sydney and to continue delivering a world-class marathon experience for all who take part. Every step we take, every decision we make, is with the participant and their experience in mind.
We have our sights firmly fixed on meeting the World Marathon Majors criteria and becoming the 7th Abbott World Marathon Major in 2025, we are focusing all of our attention on achieving this and believe we will.
When is the next edition of the Sydney Marathon?
The next edition takes place on the 15th of September! We look forward to seeing you there!
Interested in taking part? You can register for the 2024 edition of the Sydney Marathon on Ahotu - https://www.ahotu.com/event/sydney-marathon
To feature in our interview series you can drop us an email on content@worldssportsgroup.com
Interested in promoting your race with World’s Marathons or Ahotu Marathons? Contact us on partners@worldsmarathons.com
