Amy MacCormack: Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Marathon Race Director previews the event

More than 17,000 registered participants are putting the final touches to their race day preparations as the Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Marathon returns this Sunday. 

New Zealand’s biggest and most iconic festival of running has proved more popular than ever this year, with total event registrations at their highest since 2014.  

Race Director Amy MacCormack joined D'Arcy Waldegrave to preview the event.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Wildegrave from News TALKSB.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
It's the calm before the storm. Coming up tomorrow in
Auckland City is the legendary Barfoot and Thompson Auckland Marathon.
We're joined now by Legrand from Arms, the big cheese
out of the organization. Amy McCormack. I can hear you laughing.
I didn't mean to call you, Bri. I couldn't help myself.
This is a huge weekend and I've been I've been

(00:32):
wandering around Auckland Central for the last few days. She's
all accent right, things are going on as at a big event.

Speaker 3 (00:38):
Yeah, we've got two days of athlete chicken and sports exposed.
So yeah, the precursor to the big day race day
on Sunday.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
Now, it is a big day, and we know that
as Auckland citizens, people tend to keep out of town
on the day that's on unlez they're running. I suppose
that for people that are not engaged themselves, and we'll
talk about them shortly, but I suppose it's key to
know that Auckland's going to be tough to get around
tomorrow morning.

Speaker 3 (01:05):
Yeah, up pretty early. You know, we start with the
Wheelchair Marathon five point fifty five at Demonport, so early
start won't kind of affect too many people. The early
Birds potentially marathon, Barfoot and Thompson Marathon starts at six
so you know, five minutes later, and then we roll
into our garm in half at six fifty, still at
the Demonport start line there right by the ferry terminal.

(01:28):
And then our one New Zealand eleven K traverse starts
at Smiles Farm at eight forty am and right over
back on the city side, we've got our United Airlines
five K starting at eleven and our Barfoot and Thompson
Kids Marathon at ten thirty on Fanshaw Street, So yeah,
avoid the city, avoid sections of the north Shore. But

(01:49):
you know it frees up pretty quickly, so you should
be okay.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
When do you expect to be pretty much clear one
and everything stopped?

Speaker 3 (01:54):
Yeah, it depends on we are traveling to and from
the Auckland Harbor Bridge closes two lanes down for us
to get our pedestrians our runners across that big mighty bridge.
Then we reopen from eleven thirty onwards, so the ridge
will still be operating. You'll still get your cars across,
but we've just closed down the two lanes, so try
and avoid it if you can, or come later.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Right, forget about the cars now, at least talk about
the athletes themselves. This is always big. How many pairs
of sandshoes are going to be traversing the terra firma
come the start of the race.

Speaker 3 (02:28):
Well, this is a thirty third edition of this incredible event,
and excited to say that we've got over seventeen thousand
athletes running in this event makes this makes it the
second largest event in ten years, so you know, it's
pretty big and exciting.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
What makes it? What makes this marathon such an event?
Regularity works, People know it's on, but why the engagement,
do you think, Amy, Yeah, well.

Speaker 3 (02:54):
We're up on about five thousand runners from last year,
so really exciting. Part of this whole term that's been
thrown around the running boom. You know, we've seen it
in Australia and it's creeping into New Zealand and it's
very much about people getting active, people being part of
running communities. It's very on trend and being part of
these groups and the social connections. It's a pretty cheap

(03:15):
way to get active and fit. You don't need a
lot of kit A good pair of Essex running shoes
and you'll be right.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
Seventeen thousand people, they're the athletes. What about support crew?
And I'm talking about the logistics of setting this whole
thing up, shutting it all down, dealing with any drama
on the course. How many people have you got with you?
I mean, you're not doing it all by yourself, ain't it.

Speaker 3 (03:36):
This event is made up of eight hundred volunteers. Without
these guys, we literally couldn't run these events. We've got
a crew of about forty five staff and it's really
as a teen effort to get this beast ticked off
and welcome all these people to Tamachey Makoto.

Speaker 2 (03:52):
From an athlete perspective, any advice for them, like, you know,
don't fall over, try and complete. But is there something
that comes up every ear that you think needs to
be underlined and in bold for ever run out there competing.

Speaker 3 (04:05):
Yeah, just try and get to your start line early.
Don't leave it to the last minute. We've got some
amazing charted transport services. We've got the ferry from the
city side over to Devonport. We've got charted shuttle bus
services from all over the city from Fanshaw Street on
the city side and then Takapuna and all the way
out to Albany getting to your start line. So just
try and get there early and you know we'd look

(04:27):
forward to seeing the smiling face on that start line.

Speaker 2 (04:29):
Favoritism. Who's got this in the bag? This is go
to the main event for me and women? Who do
we like? Who the rock stars out there?

Speaker 3 (04:37):
Oh, we've got a few. Gives me goose bumps, but
I guess it'll be the first. Who's going to be
the first female marathon runner to win three titles? It's
it's going to be tied between Lisa Cross and Hannah
Old right, and then in the men's or got Daniel
Balchin who won last year, and I guess it'll be
that competition between him and Oscar Oscar Bains are the

(04:58):
other ones and the men's to watch. I guess if
you move into the garment half, you've got Camille French
and Julia Oakley who are picked to be the women's
and men's favorite. So it's going to be an exciting
finish line notes for sure.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
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