Geelong Running Festival ambassadors reflect on health, community impacts

THE first Geelong Running Festival will be shaped by local stories, with two ambassadors sharing how running changed their lives.

Nova Maulani-Hutchinson and Sebastian Reaburn both started running to improve their health. Now, they run for joy and the community they have found.

When Maulani-Hutchinson was struggling to conceive, her doctor recommended a change in her exercise routine. Running, she said, had the fewest barriers to entry.

Quickly, it stopped feeling like a chore and became something she fell in love with.

“I’m so excited. I love to go to running events to run, to see people [and make] new friends,” Maulani-Hutchinson said.

“I love seeing runners smiling at the start and the finish lines.”

Though she will run in the full marathon in Geelong – just her second after completing Sydney in August – Maulani-Hutchinson said the shorter distances are her favourite.

 

She said the sense of community in the shorter races is unmatched, with the chance to move her body while catching up with friends and making new ones among the highlights.

“I enjoy running a lot with my baby now, pushing the pram, sometimes running solo feels repetitive and you get bored,” Maulani-Hutchinson said.

“I found with the Geelong running community, I get more motivated and we are cheering each other so and then we chit chat after, it makes me more excited.”

Reaburn describes himself as a late bloomer when it comes to the sport.

After taking up running in his 40s, he now plans to complete five marathons this year before his 50th birthday.

Surprised at how much he has enjoyed running, he said the sport has positively impacted other areas of his life, beyond his physical health.

“You could broadly put it as a mental health thing, but it’s more than that,” Reaburn said.

“For me, it just helps me show up better. You’ve got more patience for stuff; you don’t sweat the small things in the same way.

 

“I find it really helps to get clarity and clear my head.”

Reaburn said he hopes to finish the Geelong marathon in a personal best time of under 5 hours, all while raising funds for the Dylan Alcott Foundation.

“I am definitely the one plodding along at the back, really trying to delay when the wheels come off,” Reaburn said.

“That’s my strategy; at some point you’ll hit the wall. There’s going to be something that goes wrong every marathon, so I want to try and push that point back.”

For both Maulani-Hutchinson and Reaburn, the chance to take part in Geelong’s inaugural marathon is one they could not pass up.

The Geelong Running Festival has distances for every type of runner including a 1-mile all abilities race, kids races, short course events and the city’s first full marathon.

Geelong Running Festival events will be held on 19 and 20 September.