Koolyn Briggs is on a mission to lead by example, change some stereotypes and run his first marathon — a distance of 42.2km — in New York City, at what is perhaps the world’s most famed running event.

Once weighing 130kg, plagued with depression, mental health issues and tied up in an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, the 26-year-old Yorta Yorta man says running has been the best cure for his physical, mental and emotional ailments.

Mr Briggs got the call in early April to let him know he’d been accepted into the highly-sought after Indigenous Marathon Project (IMP), founded by world marathon champion and four-time Olympian Robert de Castella, and run by the Indigenous Marathon Foundation (IMF).

He applied online last November, attended tryouts in mid-March, and was one of just 12 from 200 across Australia to make the shortlist and then the final cut.

Six men and six women between the ages of 18 and 30 are selected for the program — which is staffed largely by past graduates — each year. There have been 142 graduates of the program to date.

The squad immediately began training and attended its first camp in Canberra in May, four weeks after the program started.

The program coaches participants through four running events before the big dance in November — the TCS NYC Marathon — including the 10km run during its Canberra camp, a 21.1km half-marathon on the Gold Coast this weekend, another half-marathon in Adelaide in late August and a 30km unofficial event in Alice Springs after that.

The squad will then have a six-week preparation break ahead of New York.

While running is a massive part of the program, it is mostly about creating leaders.

Throughout the six-month duration of their journey with the IMP, participants will complete a Certificate in Indigenous Leadership and Health Promotion.

“Training camps go from Tuesday to Sunday and we undertake studies on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday ahead of the weekend running event,” Mr Briggs said.

“It’s one of my favourite parts of the program; I can’t wait to continue with that coursework on the Gold Coast for camp number two this week.”

The IMF covers all expenses for IMP participants, from airfares to race entry fees, food, accommodation and camp activities.

Mr Briggs said when they first met in Canberra, they were given a duffle bag and backpack loaded with IMP-branded training gear, including clothing for all-weather running, sun protection, a Garmin watch and a brand-new pair of ASICS runners (ASICS being the major sponsor of the program).

“We all felt like it was Christmas morning opening up those bags; we felt like professional athletes, which was really cool,” Mr Briggs said.

“For us as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders men and women, having the opportunity to partake in a program where we don’t have to worry about the finance side of things is great; you just get the opportunity to immerse yourself in one of the best programs the country has to offer.”

Mr Briggs was born in Shepparton but has not lived in the town since he was three years old.

He has lots of family remaining in the area who are cheering him on during his IMP journey and he visits when he can, although working six days a week as an electrician and training seven days a week, that’s not as much as he’d like to.

“I might be biased here, but that’s probably the best thing about us as Aboriginal people, we’re so family and community-orientated that naturally we’re not selfish,” Mr Briggs said.

“Everything we do in life is with family, with extended family, so when it comes to something like this, we’re not only running it for ourselves, we’re running it for partners, our parents, our siblings, our extended families, our communities, so to know that I’m going to New York is more than just for me.”

Mr Briggs did swing by for a visit recently on his way to Barmah for a 20km training run.

He chose the Barmah Forest for his running track that Sunday.

“It’s the most special place ever,” he said.

“To be able to do that on Yorta Yorta country was really good and I did that run in really good time as well.”

He ran his 10km in Canberra in 47 minutes and 50 seconds and his goal for the Gold Coast half-marathon this Saturday is to run in under one hour and 45 minutes.

It’s looking like rain, but Mr Briggs doesn’t mind if that forecast is accurate.

“Rain’s part and parcel of living down here (Melbourne), so there’s been so many training sessions where I’ve just had to run in the rain,” Mr Briggs said.

“I’ve always loved running in the rain, so if it does start raining I’ll be ready to go.”

His reasons for being involved in the program extend beyond his personal running goals or gaining leadership certificates.

Mr Briggs wants to set a good example and feels that if he cannot put his pledges into action, then his words don’t hold much weight or value.

“To be able to turn my life around and get to where I am now has been a lot of hard work and determination, a lot of long hours in the gym and out on the pavement, a lot of running, hours spent on a treadmill, on a bike, over the past eight years, to be able to get to where I am now,” he said.

“To be able to partake in this program shows that I’m that kind of leader; it’s all about actions for me, leading by example and enabling young generations to see what they can be through hard work.”

He said while it was daunting to think that he’ll be lining up in the United States to run non-stop for 42.2km alongside more than 50,000 other international runners later this year, knowing there’s still four months of solid training before then gives him confidence that both body and mind will be able to push through and achieve the time he sets his sights on in November.

Mr Briggs hopes to be supported by his Melbourne-born partner Taylor, his parents, their partners and his siblings — two brothers and a sister — in the US, where he will stay on to holiday for a further week after the marathon.

“When I told my family, they were more excited than I was,” Mr Briggs said.

“I’m happy to be the reason they travel.”

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Sunday, 23rd June 2024

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