Stuck driver crashes marathon course on Australia’s Gold Coast

When you think of the worst places to park your car, a marathon course has to rank near the top. But that didn’t stop one driver from leaving their silver compact SUV on the road near the 27-kilometre mark at Narrowneck Beach—right in the middle of Australia’s Gold Coast Marathon route.

The driver returned mid-race, only to realize they were completely boxed in by thousands of runners. Rather than waiting a couple of hours for the race to pass, the impatient motorist jumped in and tried to escape the course. A hilarious video, uploaded by 9News, shows the car awkwardly pulling out of its curbside spot and attempting to merge into a sea of oncoming runners.

It’s unclear whether the car ever made it off the course safely, but race officials confirmed there were no injuries reported from the incident.

It was a record breaking weekend for the Gold Coast marathon, with crowd numbers and course records shattered. #9News @AmaleeSaunders pic.twitter.com/glhyJVKQB9

— 9News Gold Coast (@9NewsGoldCoast) July 7, 2025

Sunday’s Gold Coast Marathon was otherwise a massive success, drawing a record 15,000 runners in the 42.2-km event, including more than 3,500 international participants.

Australian Olympian Andy Buchanan was victorious in the half-marathon, breaking the course record with a time of 1:01:08, while Japan’s Yuki Takei clocked a personal best of 2:07:33 to win the marathon—also setting a new course record.

The race contributes more than AUD $50 million to the region’s tourism economy each year and is known as one of the world’s most scenic marathons, thanks to its stunning coastal views.

Lack of water on land

However, the otherwise celebratory event wasn’t without a few hiccups. Several back-of-the-pack runners reported a lack of water at aid stations. One runner said there was no water available at the first three stations: “It’s not the volunteers’ fault—they were doing the best they could. There just wasn’t enough water for all the runners.”

Another participant, still on the course after six hours of running, said she had to detour to a convenience store at 40 km to buy a Gatorade when the final aid station had run dry.

“We all pay the same entry fee,” one runner wrote, “so I don’t understand why so many of us end up without water or gels.”

While temperatures on race morning didn’t climb above 15 C (mild by Australian standards), proper hydration is still essential for marathon runners, regardless of the weather.

For full results from the 2025 Gold Coast Marathon, click here.