Head of Sport at Shire Christian School, Mr Peter Richardson, achieved an incredible feat on the weekend, running 100 miles (160 kilometres) as part of the Great North Walk Ultras event, taking out 2nd place in a time of twenty-five and a half hours.
Mr Richardson said he felt “elated and filled with joy and a sense of accomplishment” as he crossed the finish line.
“It was so hard going without sleep through the whole night. Between 3am and 5am I was struggling to stay awake and just stumbling… I was just closing my eyes for a few seconds at a time as I was running along and I would sort of veer off a little bit before finding my way again,” he said.
After spending 6 months training in preparation for the event, with a few shorter races in the lead up, Mr Richardson was excited to see what his body could do.
“I enjoy running and exploring in the bush and pushing my body to its limits. I love challenging myself to see what I’m capable of and modelling that to others,” he said.
Jason Hosking, Shire Christian School parent, also ran in the event, placing third in the 160km run.
Mr Richardson has established a running program at the School in recent years, encouraging students of all running abilities to join him on a run before school. The initiative has seen many students and parents participate in the weekly activity.
“I want to encourage everyone to embrace activity whether they are gifted at it or not”, he said.
“At Shire Christian we have opportunities for every student. That might be just taking part in our Friday afternoon sport program or it might mean taking part in one of the many representative sports we have on offer”.
While recognising that not everyone loves sport, Mr Richardson said the key to helping people get involved in physical activity is to give them lots of different options and challenging them to find something that they enjoy doing.
“The impact that exercise has on a student’s academic ability and the ability to engage and concentrate is class can sometimes be underappreciated, but the physical benefits are undeniable”, he said.
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