Running is powerful, Joe’s story of motivation

It has been some kind of journey, the last few years since taking up a new sport.

After stumbling on an enjoyment of running via my team at work (not without considerable peer pressure and the promise of takeaway gyros afterwards) circa the COVID years of 2020/2021 during lunchtime 3km’s or 5km’s runs, I didn’t want to stop. I knew that once I had accomplished 5km, I wanted to get to 7km and then to double digits and so on.

In the background, cancer was deeply affecting my family, like so many others. The return of my father’s cancer in February 2022 after nearly five years in remission, particularly, had the most significant impact on my mental health. It’s hard to explain the feeling after receiving that phone call, but I knew, I needed help and something to clear my mind immediately. From memory it was around 8pm on Friday night, I called a friend, had a cry, then grabbed my headphones and went for a run.

Since this day, I have learnt that running is powerful.

• I realised its power to ground me and provide me agency. Once I was out the door, this was my own space, my own time, my own decisions.
• I realised its power to allow disconnection from the usual ‘busy’ state of mind or calendar and appointment schedule to enable me to slow down and just ‘breathe.’
• I realised its power to enable positive reconnection with myself, my emotions, my thoughts and to aid development of new skills in self-awareness.
• I realised its power to create new connections with others, with community, with support and to also raise awareness for important causes (all before run clubs were in vogue!).

Running became the essential tool that I needed to improve my mental health and allow me to be at my best, even if ‘my best’ was never going to be 100%, or even close.

After learning its power, and my fathers’ illness progressed, I’ve wanted to dig deeper. Each official event I have run since my first half marathon in 2022, I have either challenged myself to run it faster or run further. Since applying a greater focus to raising awareness for mental health and cancer support organisations – I am this morning, in complete awe of the generosity of friends, colleagues and family who have so kindly donated nearly $10,000 to the Australian Cancer Research Foundation since I ran the Melbourne Marathon in October 2023.

Minimising the impact and improving outcomes of treatments for those diagnosed with cancer and one day curing this disease was a cause that was close to Dad’s heart and will always be close to mine.

Additionally, I am incredibly grateful for my colleagues that originally encouraged me to join those lunch runs around the office and my friends that have continued to train and run alongside me since, keeping me on track when I came off or when I needed support. I believe that the most valuable part of taking up this sport has not been the journey and won’t be the destination either – but rather the company built around me along the way.

This Sunday I am attempting to run my longest distance yet in Lorne, Victoria, at the Great Ocean Road Running Festival. Even though Dad won’t be there with me on this one like we had hoped for, the love and positivity he taught me and the overwhelming support and care around me will help carry the load.

Thank you for your support.

If you would like to read a little more about my story and why the ACRF is important, please visit the link to my page https://gorrf24.grassrootz.com/acrf/joe-sallustio