AFL great Kane Cornes has set a blistering marathon time of under three hours as one of tens of thousands to cross the line at the largest ever Perth Running Festival.

The Seven presenter and Port Adelaide great was among the 18,750 professional and amateur runners from 58 countries to complete in Sunday’s race, which also raises funds for Telethon.

Cornes — who will also run a second marathon at Rottnest Island on Thursday for Telethon — clocked in at under three hours in the 42.2km division and said he was fortunate to have the weather gods on his side.

“It was amazing I think we got lucky with the weather, it was nice and cool, there was a little bit of a breeze but because it’s so flat, it was kind of good,” he said.

“We had a good group around that three-hour (pace), so I just tucked into there and then felt pretty good from 30km onwards.

“The atmosphere on the course was incredible, because the way the course is structured you often run past the other people as they’re coming through.

“A lot of encouragement out on course and to raise money, in my instance for Telethon, and experience Telethon last year is amazing, I just wanted to come back and do something big.”

Cornes said he was happy with his time after a disrupted preparation, and that it set him up well when he does it all again in four day’s time.

He is set to trade the streets of Perth for the paths of Rottnest, running 42km for the Rotto Run for Telethon, joined by a number of special guests.

He will be joined by a cast of supporters including Premier Roger Cook, Triple M breakfast hosts Xavier Ellis and Katie Lamb, and even Fat Cat.

Fellow AFL champion and Channel Seven commentator Luke Hodge will also take part in the event, skydiving over the island while the run is happening.

It won’t be the first feat of endurance Cornes has achieved, after he ran from Adelaide to Melbourne, a distance of 725km, in 12 days in 2022.

Key to his recovery between now and Thursday is putting the feet up, eating good food and getting the hydration in says Cornes, although he admitted he’d still be at work on Monday.

“I’m staying at Crown, so I think they’re going to look after me with a few massages and things like that, but I’ll take it easy today,” he said.

“I’ve got to work tomorrow, but Rottnest on Thursday is going to be incredible, we’ve got a lot of crew coming over and there’s going to be some good fun games and activities and lots of kids, I’m looking forward to it.”

Cornes also made the pitch for anyone to support the journey for Telethon.

“Check it out on our socials, Telethon and the website, obviously every donation helps,” he said.

“It’s just the best couple of days I think on the Australian calendar, everyone says yes to everything, a lot of big personalities come in, the kids are amazing, so many inspiring stories.

“The atmosphere in Perth is amazing, it’s one of the best weeks of the year.”

A total of 18,750 runners competed in Sunday’s event, which also had a 21.1km division, as well as the PerthNow 10km race and Burswood Park 4km dash.

Including spectators, 50,000 people attended Sunday’s Perth Running Festival, which is expected to raise $300,000.

All proceeds will be donated to Telethon, with entrants also given the chance to raise their own funds and people able to financially support Cornes’ efforts at telethon7.com/kanesrun

Telethon weekend will be held across Saturday and Sunday at RAC Arena, with massive names including Jessica Mauboy, Morgan Evans and Kate Miller-Heidke to take the stage.

Telethon starts 6.30pm on Saturday, live on Seven and 7Plus.