Author: Suzanna Barry

Running a few times a week is an important ritual for Danielle. It’s a spiritual time and a time of
connection with her daughter Monique, who tragically lost her battle to Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine
Glioma (DIPG) an aggressive form of children’s brain cancer, in 2016.

Life changed for Danielle and her family in 2015 when Moni’s illness struck. At only 3 years old
Monique had been experiencing headaches, vomiting and dizziness and was rushed to
Melbourne. Moni underwent radiation treatments which gave the family 13 months to spend with
their precious daughter and sister.

Running has been a part of Danielle’s life since her late 20’s, when she ran in her lunch break
with colleagues.

First she learnt to run 5 kms, and then 10 kms. When her children came along running was
something she enjoyed intermittently.

However, since the loss of her daughter running has given Danielle a purpose and it helps her
deal with her grief, “running is very much like grief, some days are easier than others”.
Not long after Moni passed away Danielle decided to participate in the 15km, ‘Run 4 the Kids’ to
help raise money for the charity “The Cure Starts Now Australia”, DIPG research. Over the past
three years she has raised more than $35,000.

A focus on fundraising and participating in fun runs is something that involves the whole family
and their friends. Darryl and their children, Olivia and Zoe (Monique’s twin) walk while Danielle
runs!

Danielle recently completed her first half marathon as part of the 2019 Johnno’s Run team at
Run Melbourne. This time she was raising funds to support Community Living & Respite
Services Inc., a disability organisation, as Danielle has first hand experience of being a carer.
With a half marathon now ticked off, the next dream is a full marathon, and maybe an
international destination could be on the list.

Fundraising to find a cure gives Danielle extra motivation to run. She is currently planning a
Running Streak event and hopes that this will encourage people to get active, and maybe even
ignite a love of running. The Running Streak will involve a small donation and a commitment to
run or walk at least 1 km every day of the month of September.
Running has been healing for Danielle and she hopes sharing her story will encourage others
experiencing loss to try it for themselves.

Cinda Herrett is one determined running sister, who continues to inspire her local community, and the running community across Australia.

Cinda, 40, first ran in her 20’s and began to step it up in her early 30’s after the arrival of her daughter Indy.

When Indy was just a few years old Cinda moved to the Echuca region.
Around this time life took a turn for the worse, which led to Cinda taking action and spending time in rehab in Melbourne. It was during rehab that she began walking on the treadmill, and then to the park with a couple of others who were also battling alcohol addiction.

On her return to Echuca Cinda gradually got back into running.
Running in Echuca introduced Cinda to a whole new set of people, whose lives had a different focus. This has been life changing for Cinda and her family.

Over the past five years Cinda has run with several running groups, joined the Johnno’s Run team who fundraise to build homes for people with disability, had a personal coach, has inspired others to run and has even travelled to Berlin where she run a marathon. Participating in an event with 44,000 others is an experience she’ll never forget.

Cinda has faced other battles, particularly recurring stress fractures. Currently Cinda is working on strength training to help address this. Taking action again, she reached out on social media to Lisa Weightman, Oymplian and Asutralia’s fastest female marathon runner who has experienced 9 stress fractures. Cinda was thrilled that Lisa responded to her request for advice.

Another opportunity for Cinda arose in 2017 when she was asked to co-direct parkrun in Echuca. This came at a great time for CInda as she was taking it easy due to injury and enabled her to stay connected to the running community.

Cinda enjoys a healthy lifestyle, which is evidenced by her healthy glow – whether she’s running, walking the dogs, directing parkrun or supporting the community Cinda always has a word of encouragement for others.

Cinda has a motto she loves to share, “When you think you can’t go any further, just take one more step”.

This motto doesn’t only apply to running – we need to take the first step and then with each next step we are closer to accomplishing our goals.

An interview for her running pursuits was something that Belinda Owen didn’t think would ever happen. Like many others, Belinda’s running story began with parkrun.

B, as she is fondly known, has worked in tourism and events for almost 20 years. It was in this capacity that in May 2017 she helped organise the inaugural Echuca Moama parkrun. This was B’s first parkrun and soon she will have clocked up an incredible 500kms! However, it isn’t about the numbers or PB’s, but more importantly it’s about B’s emotional and physical health and taking her beloved 4 legged friends out for a run.

Getting out of bed on a Saturday is no problems thanks to parkrun. A feeling of isolation due to the reminder that many others her age are busy with children’s weekend sporting pursuits, has been replaced with a sense of fulfilment.

From that first parkrun walk to now, when a time less than 30 minutes is the norm, B has ditched her coffee and croissant comfort routine and is feeling more energised than ever.

B loves the community spirit that goes hand in hand with parkrun and can vouch that this spirit is alive and well across Australia. Holidays and weekends away now often involve B and supportive husband Travis including a parkrun in their plans.

A highlight for B was the Hamilton Island parkrun. Yachting crew members on the island for a yacht race were visitors like her, and bumping into them over the weekend was extra special.

She also laughs at fond memories of parkrun at Albert Park. Lots of planning had gone into the weekend and at the last minute things went wrong. The carpark was inaccessible and while there was the temptation to go back to bed, Travis insisted on catching a taxi. Despite wild weather and a long walk the experience turned into a memorable adventure.

One of B’s favourite photos is of her volunteering at parkrun. She aims to volunteer 1 in every 10, which is a great philosophy. It’s people like B that create opportunities for others to enjoy the free, inclusive weekly activity that parkrun provides.

Running is just one of B’s health and wellness activities. With body balance classes, daily walks, and a focus on good nutrition, B’s positive outlook on life is contagious.

Anna de Vrieze is a remarkable woman, with loads of determination and running talent. Running is Anna’s happy place, a time when she can switch off and enjoy time to herself and focus on the challenge at hand.

Although loving the solo nature of running, in 2018 Anna joined a mixed group that trains every Tuesday. Anna, 33, is one of the oldest in the group, with most aged 8 to 16. Joining this group has not only improved Anna’s performance with the strong competition (some of the kids can run pretty quick), but the social aspects are providing a new level of enjoyment. Talking to Anna I gained a strong sense that Anna is the “big sister”– inspiring up and coming athletes and being a positive role model.

Anna’s day job is a Human Resources Professional. She wakes at 5am and dedicates the first hour of the day to running, before travelling an hour to work. There’s no doubt that Anna is focused, highly organised and dedicated to achieving her goals.

A couple of years ago a turning point occurred when Anna went to her first parkrun. She was spotted by a coach who remembered her from her younger years. He offered to coach her and Anna seized the opportunity. She also started seeing an exercise physiologist, and worked on her strength and technique.

Anna is now stronger than ever, progressing from a 23 min 5 km runner to a sub 20 min. She modestly understates that she wins a few races here and there. Anna feels very lucky to be surrounded by a supportive team and believes that without them none of this would be possible.

Anna’s goal is to continue to improve her 5km and be competitive against the open women. Ultimately she aims to inspire young girls to continue running well beyond their teens.

I asked Anna why she loves running so much. It is the challenge to keep improving and Anna has learnt that what she puts in she always gets back. Her reward is the indescribable feeling of finishing a race or session. This brings pure joy and happiness and is what gets Anna out of bed every day.

A final quote from Anna – “If I can inspire just one girl to never give up, no matter the obstacle or challenge, I have done my job!”