“There were days I struggled just to get out of bed and manage basic self-care.”

Yet, while the idea of trading the suburbs of Sydney for the bustling streets of Manhattan is intimidating, Griffith, lacking any long-distance running experience, finds it a profound challenge.

‘Run, sweat, inspire’

Within a year of its inception, four racers had already created history as the first Indigenous runners to compete in New York City.

In 2010, Andy Warton, Joseph Davies, Juan Darwin, and Caleb Hart became trailblazers as the first Indigenous runners to complete the New York City Marathon. Credit: Indigenous Marathon Foundation

The operation has only scaled up since then.

“Pain can make you stronger; it offers a chance to reflect on your purpose and motivations, a way to justify enduring some discomfort and hardship.”

A vehicle towards change

“IMP isn’t like a traditional marathon training program where you’ve got 12 or 18 months to get ready for the marathon distance,” said Stevens.

Jack Stevens embarked on his marathon journey in 2023, finishing his first 42km race in New York that year. He mentioned that running has become a constant part of his life ever since. Credit: Jack Stevens

“We take people with no running experience whatsoever to train up and complete their first marathon in under six months too.”

“Recognizing that issues like chronic disease and various other health challenges impact our communities, and if we only walked towards change, our progress would be too slow.”

“We can set big goals. We can run marathons. We can do pretty much anything we set our mind to.”