My Inspiration To Run Around Australia
Published: 30/3/2020
In early 2017, I was feeling lost after losing my friend and teammate the year before, so my mum took me to Los Angeles, USA in March to see Life Coach Tony Robbins, at his ‘Unleash The Power Within’ (UPW) seminar.
It was at UPW where I first heard the story of a man named Stu Mittleman, who ran from San Diego to New York city; a 4,800km journey in just 56 days (around 85km a day) in the 2000s. When I first heard this, I simply couldn’t comprehend how that was even possible. I was in awe of what this man achieved, but given that I hadn’t even completed a marathon at the time, I assumed he must be a genetic freak because that is not possible for anyone else!
At the time, I wasn’t a runner. I played football (Australian Rules) from when I was 6 until I was 19 years old at the Vermont Football Club. I was fortunate enough to be the captain of an undefeated team in 2017, but despite our success, football wasn’t giving me the same enjoyment as it used to.
So I put myself out of my comfort zone and ran in the Melbourne marathon, just 3 weeks after the season finished. I LOVED IT and I knew that it was the beginning of a new sport and lifestyle for me.
My first ever marathon, October 2017.
In December 2017, with my new love for distance running, I remembered the story of Stu Mittleman and his run across America. I researched his story further and then googled, ‘Has anyone ever run around or across Australia?’ to find out if people in Australia have done something similar. I discovered that of course while it was rare, there were in fact people that had.
One of those people was Dave Alley, an Australian police officer in his 40s who ran just short of 80km a day for 175 days around Australia! He ran an incredible 13,791kms in just 5 and a half months!
After discovering Dave’s story, my mindset changed and I started to believe things like this are achievable to the everyday human being, if you have a strong enough reason WHY to keep running, day in, day out, and if you have team support around you.
I then learned about another story of pure heart and resilience:
-Samantha Gash, an Australian girl from Victoria, ran 3,253km across India, in scorching 40-degree heat, to raise money and awareness for World Vision.
I reached out to both of these amazing people, and as I write this today, I am blessed to be friends with both Dave & Samantha. They are mentors of mine, supporting me with regular advice to help me achieve my run around Australia.
I looked above my laptop at the plaque that I won in 2016 in honour of my teammate, which sits proudly on my wall. I took a deep breath, I smiled and I immediately knew that this challenge was for me. I thought it would be a great way to honour him and make a difference for a charity that will make a big difference.
Dave Alley and I the first time we met in August, 2018.
Samantha Gash and myself the first time we met in August 2018.
She gave me incredible insights to help me achieve my 50 marathons in 50 days (January 4-February 22, 2019).
