Running has many legends. Take ‘Marathon’ for instance. In 490 BC, Phidippides ran all the way from Marathon (a place in Greece) to Athens, a distance of 26.2 miles, to inform Athens of its win over the Persians in the Battle of Marathon. He said ‘Nenikikamen’ (we were victorious), and died. The legend around King of the Mountain Race is almost as romantic.



It all goes back to 1958, when Bruce Samuels, a local footballer and railway porter, claimed that he went up the nearby Mt. Cooroora (438 metres) and made it back within an hour, eliciting the scoffs and taunts of idling drinker in the local bar. A bet was placed, and with the whole town of Pomona watching, Bruce made the distance in an astonishing forty minutes. The feat was recorded on the wall of the hotel bar. The record fell the very next year to a 21 year old Barry Webb. The same year the first official Pomona King of the Mountain Race was organized where Bruce came 1.5 seconds behind Frank Mainwaring’s 31.51 minutes. In 1979 the Cooroy/ Pomona Lions Club along with the King of the Mountain Committee revived the race which has now become a major hinterland festival. It was in 1987 that the racing record was set at 22.50 minutes by Queenslander Graham Baralett.

Today, the race is the biggest event of the local calendar. The whole of Pomona comes together on the fourth Sunday of July every year to welcome runners from around the world. It is a grueling event, and it has inspired healthy rivalry between neighbors New Zealand and Australia since the beginning. Festivities run through the Saturday preceding the Sunday event, and there are non-stop events happening in different parts of the small town of Pomona. With less than a thousand residents, the Race-day population rises to a huge ten thousand!

So, if you are one of those who like few adventures and challenges in his life, why not take the Cooroora challenge. You can run with the others on the fourth Sunday of July, or if you prefer to go it alone, you can go to the picturesque town of Pomona any given day, and seek the Cooroora top for yourself. With a cozy small town atmosphere, a tropical climate, dozens of historical hotspots, a charming riverside, Pomona has a something for everyone.

Pomona is just 1.5 hours drive from Brisbane along the Bruce Highway. If you travel from Gympie, travel south along the Bruce Highway for half an hour, and take the Pomona exit at the top of Black Mountain. Thereafter follow signs on the road. From Noosa it is a mere 20 minutes, and on a nice day you can take a long walk to the town. If you are staying in Noosa, then there is no better place to stay than Sebel Resort Noosa (http://www.sebelnoosa.com). There are a few accommodations within Pomona itself, but be sure to book in time if you are planning to visit on the fourth Sunday of July. For on that day, the King of the Mountain is coroneted.