Runner Tess to take a break… but not for long

AFTER an inspiring half-marathon run last weekend raising $6000 for R U OK?, Tess Holmes is looking forward to a rest.

Ms Holmes completed the Run Melbourne Half Marathon along with 13,000 other runners.

“I’m looking forward to having a bit of a rest from training because my body is feeling quite fatigued, but I won’t stop for too long,” she said.

“I’m going to do the run to Axedale my daughter Scarlett challenged me to do if the fundraising reached $5000.

“That is about 26 kilometres, so I won’t have too much of a break from running, but while running has always been my passion, working with Nicky at the gym has opened my eyes to the long-term benefits and importance of strength training.

“It’s not just about improving performance but it’s about building a strong, resilient body that can handle everyday life and stay healthy for years to come.

“I’m looking forward to shifting my focus to building muscle and including strength training as an essential part of my overall wellbeing.”

Not only did Ms Holmes pass her initial fundraising target, she also finished the run with a satisfying time.

“The run went really well,” she said. “I was hoping to run it in two hours and ended up finishing in 1 hour and 55 minutes.

“It was really nice to receive lots of message of support the night before and during the actual run.

“I had my earphones in and each time a message came through my phone would read it out to me. I really appreciated having so much support.

“The donations kept coming in which is amazing. I reached $6000 for R U OK?.

“It was lots of fun being part of such a big event. There were 13,000 runners and we started at 6.50am so it was still dark.

“We started at Rod Laver Arena and ran through the streets of Melbourne. Running past Flinders St Station was amazing.

“We then ran along Southbank, crossed over to Southern Cross Station, down to Docklands then back along Southbank again to Alexandra Gardens.

“From there we went down St Kilda Road past the Shrine and looped around the Botanic Gardens, crossed the Yarra River again and finished back at Rod Laver.

“The atmosphere was amazing – running with such a big crowd felt great and there was music along the course including DJs, African bongo drums, bagpipes and saxophones.

“It helped take my mind off the run and really enjoy the experience.”