Kyal Atkinson had spent the past few years building himself into a serious endurance athlete. After coming from a football background, he began training for his first marathon in 2023, despite once struggling to run even 8km. Since then, he has taken on marathons, Ironman 70.3 events and a full Ironman. The Australian runner’s progress, however, has now been overshadowed by an incident at the Sunshine Coast Marathon that sparked a wave of criticism from fellow runners.

On August 10, Atkinson publicly apologised for running the 2026 EVA Air Sunshine Coast Marathon without officially entering or paying to participate. In an Instagram post, he admitted that his actions were wrong and said he took full responsibility.

He wrote, “I want to publicly apologise to the Sunshine Coast Marathon, the event organisers, volunteers and participants for running in a race that I hadn’t entered or paid to participate in.”

The apology came after Atkinson ran the full 42.195km marathon on August 2 despite not being an official participant. The race was won by Australian Olympian Brett Robinson in 2:15:45, while Atkinson’s presence on the course became a separate talking point after details of his participation emerged. Atkinson had reportedly not paid the $230 entry fee required of registered runners and did not have an official race bib.

Despite that, he ran alongside competitors who had entered the event through the proper registration process. He also received a finisher’s medal after completing the course. The controversy became bigger because members of his support crew were reportedly using e-bikes on the course while he ran. The bikes were used to film Atkinson for social media and provide him with water during the marathon.

That raised concerns among other participants, who argued that the presence of e-bikes could create a safety hazard on a course crowded with runners. The incident also triggered criticism over fairness. 

One participant said she had paid $230 to take part and pointed out that registration fees help pay for services such as first responders, road closures, hydration and other race support. Endurance athlete Noel Mulkey also criticised the incident on social media. “There’s a PLAGUE of ‘hybrid’ athletes coming to endurance sports and completely disregarding all the rules and regulations of the races they enter,’ Mulkey wrote.

“This is one of the more ridiculous examples I’ve ever seen!!! They couldn’t care less about the other runners on the course. So disrespectful and dangerous in my opinion,” he added. “Hopefully the right people see this, and action is taken.”

Other runners echoed those concerns online, with some questioning why an unregistered runner was allowed to complete the course and receive an official finisher’s medal. However, not everyone agreed with the criticism. Some people defended Atkinson and argued that the reaction online had become excessive. As the backlash continued, Atkinson addressed the controversy directly.

In his August 10 Instagram statement, he also acknowledged, “I understand that what I did was wrong, and I take full responsibility for my actions,” he wrote. He also admitted that an apology could not undo the incident, but, “I’ve taken a huge lesson from this, and it’s something I won’t do again,” Atkinson said.  

“I know an apology doesn’t change what happened, but I hope my actions moving forward reflect that I’ve learnt from it,” he wrote. Atkinson then offered another apology to those affected by his decision. “I’m genuinely sorry to everyone affected. I can only learn from this, take accountability and do better moving forward.” But it wasn’t just Atkinson who faced backlash. His training group, Team Nox, also came under fire over its involvement in the incident.

Team Nox also faces backlash over Marathon controversy

Atkinson’s endurance career had been moving in a promising direction. Since taking up marathon training in 2023, he had completed multiple marathons, several Ironman 70.3 races and a full Ironman. His performances also showed how far he had come. At the 2025 Melbourne Marathon, Atkinson clocked a 2:54:08 net time, finishing 459th overall among more than 12,000 runners.

He also competed at the 2025 Ironman 70.3 Sunshine Coast, where he finished in 4:29:38, placing 19th in the men’s 25-29 age group. He has since set himself even bigger targets, with a goal of breaking 2:45 in the marathon and completing a full Ironman in under 10 hours. In July 2026, he also posted a 1:16:29 finish at the Gold Coast Half Marathon, another sign of his progress as an endurance athlete.

Yet the Sunshine Coast Marathon has now placed that progress under a very different spotlight. The controversy has also forced Team Nox, the Brisbane and Gold Coast-based training crew and athletic brand associated with Atkinson, to publicly acknowledge its part in what happened.

In its statement, the group said: “Over the past few days, there has been significant discussion surrounding our involvement at the Sunshine Coast Marathon, and we want to acknowledge the mistakes that were made.”

The team admitted that an athlete had participated without an official race bib and that members had used e-bikes on the course. The group also acknowledged that its initial response had not been appropriate. “Our initial response was immature and did not reflect the level of accountability this situation deserved.”

Team Nox then accepted responsibility for what happened and apologised to everyone affected. The team said it understood why runners were frustrated and stressed that race rules exist for both fairness and safety. “We understand the disappointment and frustration. The rules exist to protect the fairness and safety of everyone taking part.”

It also accepted the criticism directed at the group. “The criticism is understood and accepted. We have learned from this experience and will ensure it doesn’t happen again.” For Atkinson, the incident has now overshadowed a period in which his endurance career had been moving forward quickly.