Our Facebook followers may remember the awesome image we posted of Robert de Castella’s Indigenous marathon team in Times Square before the New York marathon last year. Deek was back staying with is this week with a new team for the Gold Coast Marathon.
The Indigenous Marathon Project (IMP) uses marathon as a vehicle to promote healthy lifestyles to Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Running is accessible to any age, ability and location and has the tremendous power to install a sense of personal accomplishment when one has pushed beyond what they thought possible.
The project annually selects a group of young Indigenous men and women to complete the New York City Marathon with just six months of training. This highlights the incredible natural talent that exists within this population, with the hope to one day unearth an Indigenous long distance running champion to take on the African dominance.
The project uses running to change lives. The core running squad push their physical and mental boundaries to a whole new level, and after crossing the finish line of the biggest marathon in the world they know they can achieve anything. These runners are trained to become healthy lifestyle leaders by completing a Certificate IV in Health and Leisure with a focus on Indigenous Healthy Lifestyle. This qualification is used to promote community based health and exercise initiatives including the Deadly Fun Run Series.
Runners become role models within their communities and are leaders in the promotion of health and physical exercise to address the high instance of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and renal failure.
Read more at imf.org.au.
