Teachers enjoyed the day immensely and are all eagerly awaiting the opportunity to empower their students as they implement Run Beyond at their respective schools. “It was fantastic to have the opportunity to network with teaching colleagues” said Samantha Berridge of the Catholic Learning Community of St John XXIII at Stanhope. Sam said she is keen to begin her second year implementing the program and feels “very privileged to be a part of the run beyond family.” 

Nambucca Heads teacher, Michelle Versluys added that the “day just confirmed for me what a life changing experience Run Beyond is giving to students. I loved hearing all the success stories and meeting the inspiring teachers who are going to implement the project in their schools this year.”

The Run Beyond Project uses running as a mechanism to develop capacities around goal-setting, commitment and resilience in students as they work towards the completion of a challenging but achievable Goal Race, typically between 10km and a half-marathon in length.

Teachers networked on the day and explored the possibility of numerous schools meeting and particular Goal Races, providing students with opportunities to meet their counterparts in other schools and to jointly celebrate the achievement of their goals.

Run Beyond founder David Criniti delivered the training, guiding teachers through both the theoretical and practical components of Run Beyond, with returning teachers providing valuable insights as to how the program’s potential has been realised in the variety of contexts that different schools present.

We were also fortunate to have a guest appearance from physio legend Pete Colagiuri, a long-time Run Beyond supporter, from Bioathletic, who engaged the teachers with an excellent overview of injury prevention and management strategies to maximise the students’ chances of success.

Stay tuned for accounts of these success stories throughout 2020 and beyond!