FEDERAL Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch has thrown his support behind the Run for the Reef expansion into key coastal towns across Queensland.

Plans are in place for the event, established in 2013 in Port Douglas, to be staged simultaneously in Cairns, Townsville, Mackay and Airlie Beach.

With the Great Barrier Reef currently under threat from coral bleaching, global warming and other environmental issues, the Run for the Reef series will be a powerful way for these communities to help support the tourism icon in a time of need.

Entsch said the event had turned into a significant occasion on the Australian athletic calendar and should be supported.

“Participation levels grow every year and the event is now being recognised internationally,” Entsch said.

“The focus on the Great Barrier Reef is a way to promote and is sending out positive messages around the world.

“Funds raised are going into organisations such as James Cook University to continue their research all relating to the reef, and it’s hopeful through this process a spotlight will be shown on another little known phenomenon, migration and aggregation in our reef and lagoons of the magnificent whale shark.”

Managing Director of the Great Barrier Reef Marathon Sam Cullen - the founder of Run for the Reef - said they’d requested funding from the federal government to assist in the events growth across multiple locations.

He said the event was created to inspire participants to become Reef ambassadors and play an active role in securing its future.

They hoped to simulcast the new Run for the Reef series through digital streaming link ups, allowing regions to communicate and witness each other participating at the same time.

“Our direct television, radio, digital and social media platforms are well established and are ready to expand into the new regions,” Cullen said.

“The expansion of the Run for the Reef into these popular tourist locations is another influential way in raising awareness of the need to protect this incredible asset.

“Without the Great Barrier Reef all of these communities would struggle to survive so it’s important to do everything in our power to ensure it not only survives, but thrives.”

The Run for the Reef series initiative comes on the back of the Federal Government’s recent commitment to a $50million injection aimed at improving the health and resilience of the Great Barrier Reef.

The latest investment will target water quality, which is one of the greatest threats to the Reef, and assist in it withstanding pressures such as high sea surface temperatures that are causing the current bleaching event.

For more information on the Run for the Reef – which is a joint partnership between the Tropical Journeys Great Barrier Reef Marathon Festival and James Cook University – visit www.greatbarrierreefmarathon.com.au/runforthereef.