Former Olympian and proud Geelong local Lee Troop is determined to make the 2026 Geelong Running Festival unlike any running event in the country.

The event, to be held on September 20, will feature the inaugural Geelong Marathon and is being directed by Troop, who has finally achieved his long-held vision for the city after eight years of persistence.

Troop, 53, represented Australia in the marathon at three Olympic Games — Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 — and still holds the tenth-fastest marathon time by an Australian, clocking 2:09:49 in Japan in 2003.

However, his journey as one of Australia’s most revered distance runners began in Geelong as a 15-year-old competing in a former event known as the City by the Bay Fun Run.

Troop described running down Moorabool Street and through the empty streets of Geelong during that event as the most memorable moment of his decorated career.

“To me that was just the one moment in my whole running career that I have always come back to,” Troop said. “When I started Run Geelong in 2009, I started it on that feeling that I had as a 15-year-old running down Moorabool Street. That feeling has never left me.”

Since 2011, Troop has spent much of his time coaching elite athletes through his squad, T.E.A.M Boulder, in Colorado, including American marathoner Jake Riley, who finished 28th at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Troop returned to Geelong from the United States in 2023 following the passing of his father.

After successfully organising the Run Geelong event in 2009, Troop decided in 2018 it was time for Geelong to have it’s very first marathon. The idea was backed by the City of Greater Geelong Council in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic halted progress.

“Since late 2022 and early 2023, we have been fixated on trying to get Geelong its first marathon,” he said.

The event comes with a significant financial commitment, costing Troop $1.5 million to stage. Troop revealed that neither he nor most of his team will be paid during the inaugural year.

Rather than focusing heavily on attracting elite runners in year one, Troop’s priority is winning over the Geelong community.

The traffic management plan alone costs approximately $250,000, meaning community support is critical to the event’s success.

“We want to focus on making sure our community is really celebrated in this, and that this event is their event,” Troop said. “We have an opportunity to really cater to the mass audience here, and the mass audience is not just the elite, they are a small part of it”.

While attracting elite athletes remains a future goal, Troop believes building a strong local identity is the most important foundation.

He wanted to make the course right and not to easily settle for a looped circuit layout, which is often criticised by runners.

“We just had to work around what was the furthest we could go north, south, east and west, then work the course within that scope,” he said.

One of the course’s standout features is half a lap within GMHBA Stadium, giving runners the rare experience of running through a major sporting venue with spectators inside. This is comparative to Melbourne Marathon’s iconic half lap inside the MCG. The stadium section will connect runners through Moorabool Street, which Troop described as his favourite part of the course.

The marathon will also showcase Geelong’s waterfront, including Eastern Beach, Western Beach and the city foreshore where both the start and finish lines will be located. Troop has also organised lots of musical entertainment after 15km when runners leave the city and head east in the direction of Moolap and Point Henry where Troop believes it will get slightly boring and tougher for runners.

Another aspect Troop believes will separate Geelong from other marathons is the event atmosphere after runners cross the finish line.
“A key aspect of our event that’s going to be different to most, is that we are not going to have our finish line be an expo,” he said. “It’s actually going to be a party with a number of beer setups and food truck vendors and then we are actually going to have a semi headline act as part of some live entertainment”

Unlike many major marathons that focus heavily on retail stalls and sports supplement promotions, Troop wants Geelong’s event to feel more like a celebration.

“I want runners to have that sense of euphoria — like they’ve crossed the finish line, they can celebrate with family and friends and the weekend is still going.”

Troop also plans to honour a special Olympian or Paralympian each year as part of the festival.
When asked about what he thinks this event will do for the city of Geelong, Troop spoke very proudly about Geelong and running.

“I think we have an opportunity to show that Geelong is a destination place, and our running festival is going to be a great vehicle for that,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what ability level you are; everyone gets to stand on the start line together which is what I love about running”

Troop hopes and believes the event will eventually attract up to 20,000 participants annually.

“This year we are looking at 6000-8000, but in years to come I look forward to having 15,000-20,000 people come down here to Geelong and enjoying what we have to offer,” he said.

Public excitement surrounding the marathon is already growing.

In a recent poll posted on TikTok, 86 per cent of the 25 voters said they believed the Geelong Marathon had the potential to become a great event. One respondent, “Lones”, summed up the optimism simply: “In Troop we trust.”