LOCAL and national talent is taking a strong interest in the 10th annual Bendigo Bank Coffs Harbour Running Festival set to be held on 11 September 2022.

Race Director Keelan Birch said he is excited to see some of the best runners in the country toe the start line of the Beachside Radiology Half Marathon.

“The $5,000 prize pool for the Half Marathon is gathering interest across the state and country.

“We are putting Coffs Harbour on the running map whilst supporting the local community and charities.

“We are expecting some very strong competition for our tenth year that will help raise the profile of the event towards a state level,” he said.

One of the big names to confirm their place is Jordan Gusman.

Jordan is a professional runner and well known as one of top distance athletes in the country being one of a few runners to run a four minute mile.

The last time Jordan competed in the run fest was winning the 5km back in 2013.

“I’m looking forward to being back at a local event in my hometown.

“It’s been almost ten years since I was at the run fest and a lot has changed for me since then.

“It’s great to see the run fest looking to attract some talent. I’m all for it.” Jordan said.

Jordan will be looking to use the running festival as a ‘warm up’ for his next event – the Boston Athletic Association Elite half marathon in November, with hopes of running under 62 minutes for the distance.

However, things have not been smooth sailing for Jordan.

After successfully securing his spot in the Commonwealth Games and looking likely for a spot on the World Championships Team, Jordan’s dad was rushed to hospital on May 2.

Jordan flew back from training overseas as fast as he could to be with his dad who sadly passed away later that month.

Steve Gusman was a great man who was well known in the running community and will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

Jordan decided to stay home with his family and forgo his spots on both the Commonwealth and World Championships Team.

Now back in Coffs Harbour, Jordan finds himself wondering about what’s next for his running, especially since training in Coffs Harbour for track races is difficult with the lack of a synthetic athletics track.

So he has decided to make the switch and train for the longer events with his focus turned towards lowering his 10km and 21km distance times.

He said he aims to make his marathon debut around July 2023.