{"id":11083,"date":"2019-05-29T23:13:23","date_gmt":"2019-05-29T13:13:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.foodbank.org.au\/2019\/05\/29\/marathon-effort\/"},"modified":"2025-09-16T12:42:06","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T02:42:06","slug":"marathon-effort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.foodbank.org.au\/marathon-effort\/","title":{"rendered":"Marathon effort to mark milestone birthday"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Marathon effort to mark milestone birthday<\/h1>\n

Most people might plan a party for a life milestone such as turning 60. Not Adrian Bol.<\/p>\n

The teacher is planning to run\u00a0seven marathons, on seven consecutive days, on seven beaches, in seven states and territorie<\/strong>s<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 and it\u2019s all to\u00a0raise funds<\/a>\u00a0for Foodbank Victoria.<\/p>\n

For months now Adrian has been getting up as early as 3.30am to train on his local beach, Bonbeach in Melbourne\u2019s south-east, before arriving at his school to teach.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe training regime is horrendous,\u201d he said. But the teacher of 40 years is keen to give back to the community and mark his birthday in a meaningful way.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had a blessed career and I want to give back. There\u2019s a lot of families in need, a lot of people are really doing it tough and if it wasn\u2019t for Foodbank they\u2019d be doing it a lot tougher.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adrian hasn\u2019t run a traditional marathon before but he is banking on his years as a runner \u2013 and an extreme preparation regime \u2013 to get him over the line.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a runner. I love to run. I can run on the surface of the beach because I\u2019ve been doing it for over 30 years \u2013 it\u2019s my temple of tranquillity. The recovery is what I\u2019m really, really focusing on. The recovery is the key to getting up and going the next day, and the next day, and the next.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each marathon is expected to take between six and seven hours. And then there\u2019s the plane trips. Over the course of the week, he\u2019ll spend between 40 and 50 hours running and 18 hours flying.<\/p>\n

The first marathon will be run on Darwin\u2019s Casuarina Beach on June 6 \u2013 his 60th<\/sup>\u00a0birthday. He then flies to Perth (Scarborough Beach, June 7); Adelaide (Glenelg Beach, June 8); Gold Coast (Kirra Beach, June 9); Sydney (Cronulla Beach, June 10); Hobart (Seven Mile Beach, June 11); and Melbourne (Bonbeach, June 12).<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s ever been done before,\u201d Adrian said of the beach challenge.<\/p>\n

The seed was planted a few years ago by the feats of Kiwi airline pilot, Mike Allsop, who completed seven marathons in seven days on seven continents.<\/p>\n

\u201cI read his book. He wasn\u2019t even a runner and he achieved something unbelievable, I thought that was awesome,\u201d said Adrian, who has been in contact and received tips from Allsop. He also now shares a sponsor with the famous Kiwi, USANA Health Sciences.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I\u2019m back in my twenties and from a fitness point of view I haven\u2019t been any fitter than this,\u201d Adrian said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy main aim is to make a big difference and raise important funds for Foodbank Victoria, but I also want to inspire people young and old \u2013 and prove that even at the ripe old age of 60 people can do whatever they set their mind to.\u201d<\/p>\n

People can donate to Adrian\u2019s fundraiser on\u00a0his everydayhero.com.au fundraising page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

MEDIA ENQUIRIES<\/h3>\n

Kimberley Nichols, Foodbank Victoria:<\/strong>\u00a003 9362 8309<\/a> \/ 0466 514 084<\/a>
\nAlexa Viani, Foodbank Victoria:<\/strong>\u00a003 9362 8333\u00a0<\/a> \/ 0466 459 266<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\t\t

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