Riepsamen will take on the 42.2 kilometre endurance test with several other Bathurst runners including Cheyne Donges, Chris Walsh, Martin Timms, John Chivers, Ian McKewon and Tijmen Klootwijk.

Riepsamen has been training with some Bathurst runners who were working towards the Canberra Marathon, so he decided he too would give it a go.

“This is not just my first Canberra Marathon, but my first marathon ever,” he said.

“I was looking for a new challenge and thought running a marathon would be a good one.

“I am not sure how I will go, I have run half marathons before, my goal is to finish in three and a half to four hours.”

Riepsamen has been training hard, as has experienced marathon runners Donges, Timms and Walsh.

Donges did the Great Volcanic Mountain Challenge last month to gauge his fitness for the Canberra Marathon and finished with a personal best time.

He has done the Volcanic Mountain Challenge three times and since this was the fastest he had completed it, Donges carries confidence into tomorrow’s Canberra Marathon.

“Chris Walsh, Martin Timms and I are all going together and we want to break the three hour barrier,” he said.

“Leading into the marathon we are pretty fit and I think Martin is a real chance of breaking it.

“Only one per cent of people do marathons and one per cent of those people break three hours, so if we can do it, it would be a great achievement.”

Before the Canberra Marathon, Walsh has run the 42.2 kilometres in a personal best time of three hours and one minute, Timms in three hours and three minutes and Donges in three hours and 16 minutes.

After Canberra instead of having a recommended break, the Bathurst runners intend to line up for the Bathurst Half Marathon. Riepsamen believes most people will attend.

“I am not sure that I will be able to do the half marathon in Bathurst just because I am doing the marketing side of things, but I know a group of runners who will be working that day are planning to do the half marathon,” he said.