Single speedster Greg Long in 2005 (Image credit: Unitede Photography)
A stellar field of 370 riders including World Champions, National Champions and World Cup race winners is set to take on the toughest endurance mountain bike event on the Queensland race calendar, when Two Wheel Promotions stages the Kooralbyn Marathon this Sunday, June 4th.
Wearing the number 1 plate at the pointy end of the Elite Men's bunch will be the reigning Kooralbyn Marathon Champion and National Under 23 Cross Country Mountain Bike Champion Mark Frendo of the Flight Centre Scott team. In 2005, Frendo completed the journey through the steep hill country of Queensland's scenic rim in a time of 3.40.11.
Frendo will need to reproduce the same sizzling effort in 2006, up against a field including emerging talents such as Daniel Hallam and Dave Whitney.
“Yeah it’s a pretty tough course,” was Frendo's assessment of the Kooralbyn Marathon. “A fair bit of climbing - I’ve done a lot of racing so it should be right.”
The Elite Women's event sees the much anticipated return of two time World Junior Cross Country Champion Lisa Mathison, who showed glimpses of her best in the recent Sunshine Series event at Hinze Dam. Building up for her expected peak at the Rotorua World Championships,
Mathison will be pushed all the way by the likes of Narelle Ash, who recently steered Team Spyder to victory in the Raid World Cup adventure race in Western Australia.
The Marathon starts and finishes at the Kooralbyn Hotel Resort. Riders will endure 85 kilometres of tough going and steep hills on a course of single trail, animal trail, farm trail and fire trail. Start time is schedule for 8a.m. Sunday.
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