Tears were welling up in the eyes of nearby spectators and volunteers, the competitor was drenched in sweat and doubled-over with the pain of the race as she choked back her own tears.

The excitement and relief were palpable, particularly because the champion was very close to not competing at all.

"Just 10 days ago I wasn't able to run because of an ankle injury," an exhausted Marangon said. "I've a pretty rough year with my preparation, so it came down to just being smart today."

The Maroubra-based athlete was able to negate reduced physical preparation by focusing on her nutrition. 

"Today was all about nutrition. I knew I was pretty good with that, so it was just a matter of nailing nutrition coming into it and the rest happened on the course."

Tyre and gear issues beset the athlete while still in Port Macquarie. Luckily those concerns were swiftly attended by technicians, while moral support was handled by dedicated locals.

"Port really turned it on for us," Marangon said. "There were people out there cheering and screaming my name. I didn't even know any of them, but that didn't matter."

While traditionally strongest on the bike, it was during the run leg that Marangon experienced her greatest success.

"It was all in the running for me today," she said. "I wasn't feeling too good coming into it, so to be able to go out and run a good half-marathon was great. That's definitely something I haven't been able to do before."