A marathon coming together

A team of Broome’s finest indigenous runners, including future New York City Marathon runner Damien Crispin, were among those representing 22 Aboriginal communities at the Indigenous Marathon Foundation’s National Deadly Fun Run Championships.

In a program that brought together 140 runners from across the country, a huge cross-section of Aboriginal and Torres Strait cultures were represented at the IMF’s seventh annual event in Uluru on Saturday, June 16.

The National Deadly Fun Run Championships featured 3km and 5km runs at Yulara, as well as a relay race around Uluru. IMF director Rob de Castella said the level of energy and enthusiasm among participants of all ages was a testament to the growing popularity of walking and running groups in Australia’s indigenous communities.

“This has been our biggest gathering yet, with 140 runners selected from the thousands who take part in regular Deadly Fun Runs, as well as 10 Olympians to cheer on these community champions,” he said.

The Port Macquarie team from NSW were named community champs for the second year running.