I have had a long relationship with running, it is something I was involved in from a very young age. Growing up on a farm I had a lot of spare time, and I often found myself running laps around the local oval and through the streets near the farm. I was just something that I really enjoyed. When I was about 11 years old I remember being asked the age old question of 'what do you want to be when you grow up' and the only thing I could think of was being a Marathon Runner. I went on to participate in a variety of sports through high school, and of course athletics and cross country were high on the list. After high school I enjoyed running on a casual basis, and only really started competing in October 2013, when I completed my first official 10km event at the Melbourne Marathon. In May the following year I successfully tackled my first Half Marathon on the challenging Great Ocean Road course, then I think I got the 'runners bug' - although it was challenging I was absolutely loving it! I was ready to take on the full Marathon, and I thought what better way to do that than by raising funds for Charity at the same time. In the November of 2014 I founded an event called Run for the Young Marathon, which supports Bridge Builders Youth, a charity that assists youth in need. It was at the Inaugural event that I first conquered the elusive Marathon! I went on to compete in Run for the Young and in many others events around Victoria, and since then I just haven't stopped running! These days you will find me training at the Box Hill Athletics Club, of which I am a member. My coach is Dr Stephen Dinneen and I am an avid member of the Dinneen Runners community. I am also the Race Director of Run for the Young, which is now in it's 6th year and it has become an Internationally recognised event, with participants attending from around Australia and around the world. I am excited about participating in the World Marathon Challenge, and I consider myself very blessed to be able to pursue my passion, while being able to support such a worthy cause and help young people around the world find their value. The best stories are certainly yet to be written!
