It has been a journey of growth and increasing complexity for two long-standing marathon contributors.
After this year’s event, Ian McDonald and Brian Watkins will say farewell to their roles in organising the annual sporting fixture.
For Mr Watkins, his marathon journey began in 1984, the same year the Caversham Harrier & Athletic Club took over organising the event from the Otago branch of the New Zealand Federation of Sports Medicine.
Mr Watkins was given the task of looking after the finish area.
At that time, the event was run in July and the race ended at Port Chalmers.
"You basically ran almost on to the wharf and that was the finish line."
In an era before digital technology, recording finish times had to be done with pen and paper.
"There was no technology and every person who ran across the line, their number had to be taken."
Recording the results was "very, very basic", he said.
Teams of people lined up to note each person’s time as they completed their run.
A local mountainbiking group loaned a caravan to the club, and volunteers worked long into Sunday evenings after the event "tediously working out the placings" so results could be listed in the newspaper on Monday morning.
As the number of entries has grown each year, the scale and complexity of organising the event has increased.
In 1986, a half-marathon was added and the event date was moved to take place in September.
By 2001, the club celebrated surpassing 1000 entries.
As the event continued to grow, additional technologies to help with recording results were trialled.
Innovations such as ankle transponders were used for electronic timing, but they proved to be somewhat "fragile" technology.
"They had to shift the finish line slightly because there was something in the ground that was interfering with the timing," Mr Watkins said.
Over the years, various trends had emerged, some more durable than others.
A "pasta party" was held at the Savoy Restaurant in 1996, part of an idea that was in vogue at the time of loading up on carbohydrates the day before competing.
"Sometimes things kind of go through a bit of a cycle."
More successful trends were introducing additional categories such as the 10km and 5km fun run, along with walking and children’s categories.
Throughout his time with the marathon, he had been grateful for many people who had helped him manage a range of tasks, Mr Watkins said.
Those included Wendy Crawford, Ken Pullar and Andrea Warburton, alongside about 45 other volunteers.
"As it grows, things tend to get more complicated."
Another long-standing stalwart of the event is Caversham Harrier and Athletic Club president Ian McDonald.
He has been involved in the marathon for about 30 years, first on the marathon committee and later assisting Warren Tweedie with course management.
This involved mapping out and accurately measuring the course, as well as traffic management.
When he started, traffic management was as simple as borrowing a trailer full of traffic cones and putting a "few cones" on corners, he said.
Now, as the scale and complexity had grown along with traffic safety requirements, Fulton Hogan was contracted not only to submit a full traffic management plan to the Dunedin City Council but also to manage the plan on the day.
During his tenure, he was grateful for having the assistance of his "right-hand men", including John MacDonald in the early years and more recently Malcolm Giles, Mr McDonald said.
The duo said they were hoping others would volunteer to step up and take over their duties, and it had been a very satisfying experience being involved over the years.
While before the big event could be "difficult and time-consuming", once it was race day, it was very rewarding seeing the enjoyment of people finishing the course and feeling good about their achievements.
"It is just so great," Mr Watkins said.
While both are stepping back from their roles in the marathon, they will continue to be present on race day and will likely assist in a smaller capacity.
"I will certainly be there on the day, but I’ve just got other things I want to do," Mr McDonald said.
Mr Watkins said he had enjoyed the "thrill of the day" that came with seeing people take part in the marathon.
"It’s great to be involved."
