Hi! My name is Sally and I am the organiser of this event. The Anzac Day Marathon started in remembrance of my GrandPa. He passed away in 2014 and the first Anzac Day without him was the following year; it didn’t feel right and I wanted a way to do something for him, to remember him, to continue to make the day special. I sometimes come up with these ‘bright’ idea’s and in 2016 a small group joined me on our first run. We attend the Runaway Bay (Gold Coast) dawn service. The President of the RSL invites me up to the dias and the crowd claps as I jog off. In 2019 there were over a dozen people who started with me, with our largest group along the way being over 20 people. We pause at cenotaphs throughout the marathon distance: firstly, Southport then onto Surfers Paradise, Burleigh, Currumbin, Elephant Rock and finishing in Coolangatta/Tweed for their morning service. It is quite an achievement and, as much as I run for remembrance of my Pa, I know others run to support me, run for themselves and run for their own family members who fought in wars and for ones that are serving today.

In 2020 the event also became a virtual event and this was the beginning of fund-raising for Runaway Bay RSL. In Covid times, the RSL were unable to sell poppies & badges or hold a service. I still ran my marathon locally however it was very low key event.

Now the event is growing with numbers and money raised each year.

Great news is we have raised over $30,000 to date, with all proceeds donated directly to local Gold Coast RSL Sub Branches towards the welfare of their members. Each year we donate to Runaway Bay RSL as the home Sub Branch and in 2025 also donated directly to Mudgeeraba Robina RSL Sub Branch and Burleigh Heads RSL Sub Branch. Read about the meaningful impact the donation has had for their members.