Mr Shaw running at the World Masters Athletics Championships in Perth in late 2016, where he took home a gold medal. Mr Shaw said the warmer weather on Sunday morning had played a significant factor in his time. "If it was 10 degrees cooler, I would have had it," he said. "When you bring in the heat and humidity, it's a different ball game." Despite the heat, it was the first time Mr Shaw had run more than 43 kilometres in a single race and he was proud of his efforts.

January will see Mr Shaw's training intensify once again ahead of the Gold Coast Airport Marathon in July, where he hopes to break the Australian record set in 1981. The record is held by World War II veteran John Gilmour, who is still running at 97. In order to do so, he will have to improve on his previous time by about five minutes. In contrast, just three years ago Mr Shaw was approaching 60 years of age and described himself as "a couch potato". Since then, he has been infected by "the running bug" and was now one of the world's fastest marathon runners.

The father of three, grandfather of five, husband of almost 40 years grew up in Hobart and even from a young age loved to run. He said sports day was by far his favourite school day of the year. However, after leaving school at age 16 in 1969, he found running after girls to be much more fun. Fast forward to mid-2012 and Mr Shaw found himself to be a 59-year-old couch potato. It was at this point he realised it was time for change and over the following three months he walked 1000 kilometres, cut out junk food and shed 20 kilograms.

Mr Shaw then took on a series of running programs and the further he ran, the more his natural speed from childhood returned. In July 2013, at age 60, he ran his first major race, the Gold Coast Airport Marathon. Unfortunately Mr Shaw injured his calf two weeks before the event and it gave up after seven kilometres. He then realised he needed a coach and through a friend met Peter James. "He understands how to get the best out runners of all ages, but especially older runners," Mr Shaw said.

"He is the sole reason for any success I have had so far or will achieve." Over the next two years, Mr Shaw completed the Gold Coast Airport Marathon again as well as the Melbourne Marathon. Then came the highlight, the world record-breaking run on January 23, 2016. Mr Shaw joined a team of four who were attempting to break the 4x1500 metre relay world record for 60-to-69 age bracket, set by the Netherlands national team in 1996. In the end, Mr Shaw's team beat the world record by 27 seconds, the fastest Australian time by one minute seven seconds and the State record by about three minutes. Mr Shaw called it "a good morning's work".

The 2016 Gold Coast Airport Marathon saw Mr Shaw finish 70th out of 5467 finishers, take out the world record for his age group and climb to second in the world rankings for his age group, behind fellow Brisbane runner Ron Peters. On Sunday December 11, Mr Shaw is now going to try and break the world 50 kilometre record at the Gold Coast 50. Looking further ahead, Mr Shaw hoped to better the current age group marathon record time at the Gold Coast Airport Marathon 2017 and compete in the Point to Pinnacle Race in Hobart - the world's toughest half marathon. Stay in touch with Queensland's best news via Facebook.​