RUNNING: An Australian running superstar will hit our shores as the ambassador for the Cruise Whitsundays Airlie Beach Running Festival.

Jodie Oborne has represented Australia at the World 24-hour Championships and has represented the country three times in the 100km World Championships.

In July, she will be coming to the region to compete in the Running Festival half-marathon as a "warm-up" for December's 100km World Championships in Spain.

Oborne, who is based in Brisbane, said she was hopeful of being selected to represent Australia for the fourth time.

"But right now I am very much looking forward to travelling to Airlie Beach to run the half-marathon and to experience the renowned Whitsunday hospitality, as well as the enthusiasm and passion that the region has for running," she said.

The 45-year-old mother of two teenagers is also battling breast cancer but thankfully it was detected early and Oborne has been able to keep running.

Earlier this month she competed in the 2016 XiQiaoShan Ultra Marathon in Foshan, Guangdong, China - a 24-hour event where runners complete as many 1.15 km loops as they can in one day.

Oborne will represent Australia in the 2017 World 24-hour Championships in Belfast, Northern Ireland, next year and will work on improving on her sixth place in the 2015 World Championships.

For more information about the Running Festival visit http://www.runairlie.com.au.