Meet Ryan McDonald, Gold Coast Marathon Race Director, who still gets a rush seeing people reach their goals

“I still get those happy feels seeing the emotion on people’s faces and what it means to them to cross the finish line at the Gold Coast Marathon.”

After more than 20 years of managing some of the sunshine state’s largest sporting events, Ryan McDonald says he still gets a rush seeing everyday Queenslanders achieve their sporting goals.

“I think that's one of the best parts about the Gold Coast marathon or any marathon event is that finish line atmosphere!”

The Event Services General Manager at Events Management Queensland was recognised at the QSport awards for his years of dedication delivering world-class sporting events for Queenslanders.

“I felt honoured to be recognised. It was quite exciting but also a humbling experience. It felt really special to be able to share that with all of my work colleagues and people that I've worked with in the past.”

But accolades pale in comparison to Ryan’s career highlight of staging a successful Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games as Manager of the Athletics Road Events.

“It was a really big operation. Lots of staff, lots of personalities, lots of ideas from right across the globe. So that was a really positive experience and overall, the event was a really big success.”

The long hours and hard work paid off when Ryan witnessed a young Aussie athlete win at a home games, something he says he’ll always remember.

“The 20-kilometre race walk was down at Currumbin and a young 18-year-old Jemima Montag won the gold medal. That was her breakthrough moment. And since then she's progressed and won an Olympic medal in Paris. So it’s been really cool to be part of her journey.”

Years in the industry mean Ryan has also witnessed some more “interesting” things at the events he’s run.

“We once had someone run the marathon barefoot and backwards. We had another person who carried a single mattress for the whole marathon course. We've had quite a few Guinness World Record attempts over the years, like people wanting to do the fastest marathon with an egg and spoon or dressed up as a particular character. So that's been quite fun.”

Ryan has also witnessed some more heartening moments including a couple who got married on a softball diamond at the Pan Pacific Masters Games after meeting there two years earlier while competing.

“It's nice when you're involved in some of those fun, quirky moments in life as well.”

In 2023 Ryan was promoted to Race Director for the Gold Coast Marathon, and has been instrumental in introducing wheelchair racing, expanding the field size for the ever-popular event, as well as reinvigorating the Toowoomba Marathon.

“It’s definitely an honour. I feel grateful that I’ve learnt from a couple of really good race directors.”

Photo credit: Rogue Gun Photography & Media

He admits he sometimes struggles to switch off from work when attending other events.

“You always look at things through those eyes. Sometimes you see things that are a good idea or that they’ve done really well. Or, you're looking at the queuing for the buses and you think, oh they could do it differently. I don't think that ever switches off.”

Despite winning the QSport award, Ryan says he doesn’t do it for the accolades.

“I think the biggest bit of advice is just to enjoy it. Embrace the fact that there’s going to be times where it's super busy and super crazy. It's not always glamorous. Some days it’s moving crowd control barriers on the hot sand. You’ve got to love all of those moments.”

The Department of Sport, Racing and the Olympic and Paralympic Games is a proud supporter of QSport, helping enhance the development of sport in Queensland.