The marathon runners started at 6.45am from Town Beach in Port Macquarie. They followed the coastal trail south and finished at the top of North Brother mountain in Laurieton.

Both Hoeft and Palmer said conditions for the race were ideal due to the overcast weather conditions. The low tide meant beach running could be undertaken on relatively hard sand.

Hoeft said he was panicked towards the end of the race as he saw Paul Wood (second male) close behind when he got to the mountain.

At that point cramps were starting to set in for Hoeft, so he knew he had to push through the pain to stay in front.

Hoeft finished with a time of 3.54, with Wood a close second (3.55). Adam Lockwood came in third with a time of 4.06.

Meanwhile Palmer finished with a time of 3.58, followed by Melinda Scriven (4.42) and Anne Tsang (4.46).

Palmer broke a new female course record for the event after she finished with a time of 4.14 in 2018.

Palmer said she was looking forward to competing at the 50km Washpool trail event next weekend (October 13).

Meanwhile Cameron James was the first male to cross for the half marathon and Leonie Montgomery was first female.

It was James and Montgomery's first time competing in the Beach to Brother event and both said it was a fantastic experience.

Montgomery was surprised she finished as first female, as she stopped at every check point, took photos of the scenery, and high-fived members of the public along the way.

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