Chebon Chebor wins running his first marathon at Gold Coast in 2:12

GOLD Coast Airport Marathon men's winner William Chebon Chebor, of Kenya, recorded the fastest time in 12 years in what was his first ever marathon.

A record 23,000 participants lined up for the Gold Coast Airport Marathon and associated events. Runners, walkers, shufflers, pram-pushers and wheelchair athletes pounded the pavement, strolled the streets or rolled the roadways of the Glitter Strip in search of individual goals - winning the race, achieving a personal best time or just making it across the line.

Men's winner William Chebon Chebor, of Kenya, looked like he had run around the block after finishing in 2hrs 12mins, the fastest Gold Coast marathon time in 12 years. His rivals should be afraid: it was Chebor's first marathon.

The women's marathon was the closest in the event's 31-year history. Western Australia's Lauren Shelley and the Sunshine Coast's Roxie Schmidt raced each other over the last 100m, with Shelley prevailing by one second.

Among the 8000 entrants in the half marathon was Premier Anna Bligh, who equalled her personal best time of 2hrs and 6mins, despite a heavy cold. She may have also achieved a first for a politician - she was unable to talk after crossing the line exhausted. But at least she finished in her shoes, after blisters last year saw her hobble home in socks. After 40 minutes' recovery, she found her voice. "I've gone into the race this year with a croaky throat but I trained hard and and I wanted to do it," she said. "I've done this race a number of times but I've never done it in such perfect conditions. It's just great to be out there."

Ms Bligh said she had been inspired by nine-year-old Tara Panayis, who competed in the junior dash with a prosthetic leg. "Tara's a great inspiration, she's my hero - every time I want to put the doona over my head, I think 'If she can (run), I can'," the premier said.

Running great Steve Moneghetti, who ran as a pacesetter, said completing the marathon was a huge achievement. "It's one of the greatest moments of your life," he said. "It's tough to run a marathon. If you run one, you're a part of a very exclusive club."