Kane Cornes has completed a marathon in under three hours at the Perth Running Festival, one of 18,750 runners who took part in the event in support of Telethon.
The former Port Adelaide player and Seven presenter finished the 42.2km race on Sunday, which attracted professional and amateur competitors from 58 countries and was the largest Perth Running Festival to date.
Cornes said favourable conditions and a strong group running at three-hour pace helped him through the race.
“It was amazing I think we got lucky with the weather, it was nice and cool, there was a little bit of a breeze but because it’s so flat, it was kind of good,” he said.
“We had a good group around that three-hour (pace), so I just tucked into there and then felt pretty good from 30km onwards.”
He said the atmosphere had been boosted by the course design, which brought runners close to one another at different stages of the event.
“The atmosphere on the course was incredible, because the way the course is structured you often run past the other people as they’re coming through,” Cornes said.
Despite a disrupted preparation, he was pleased with his performance and will attempt another marathon in four days’ time on Rottnest Island.
Second marathon planned for Telethon
Cornes will run 42km in the Rotto Run for Telethon alongside Premier Roger Cook, Triple M breakfast presenters Xavier Ellis and Katie Lamb, and Fat Cat. Former AFL champion and Channel Seven commentator Luke Hodge is also due to take part, skydiving over the island during the run.
Cornes said his recovery plan included resting, eating well and staying hydrated, although he was still due to work on Monday. He said he would also receive massages while staying at Crown.
“Rottnest on Thursday is going to be incredible, we’ve got a lot of crew coming over and there’s going to be some good fun games and activities and lots of kids, I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
The endurance challenge follows Cornes’s 725km run from Adelaide to Melbourne, completed over 12 days in 2022.
The Perth event also featured a 21.1km race, a 10km race and a 4km dash at Burswood Park. Including spectators, about 50,000 people attended, with all proceeds going to Telethon and entrants also given the opportunity to raise money themselves.
Telethon weekend will take place at RAC Arena on Saturday and Sunday, with Jessica Mauboy, Morgan Evans and Kate Miller-Heidke among the performers. The event will begin at 6.30pm on Saturday and be broadcast on Seven and 7Plus.
