ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

The Australian Government acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and acknowledges their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the Elders past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices and names of deceased persons.

Indigenous.gov.au Connecting With First Nations Australians
Back to Stories

Running with heart in the heart of the nation

02 August 2016
Community Amata
Safety and Wellbeing
Amata Fun Run Champions from left: Elesoar Pan, Hannah Lewis, Evan Windy (front) and Sharon Dingamam (c) Geoff Pryor

Four young people from Amata in South Australia enjoyed an exciting and inspiring weekend and gave 100 per cent as they represented their community at the National Deadly Fun Run Championships in Yulara, Northern Territory.

Four young runners from Amata in the APY Lands of South Australia were excited to be selected to compete at the National Deadly Fun Run Championships in Yulara, Northern Territory on 15-17 July.

After a series of four races in Amata, Evan Windy (7), Hannah Lewis (8), Sharon Dingamam (13) and Elesoar Pan (15) were chosen to represent their community because of their enthusiasm for running, consistent attendance at the fun runs, running with the determination of champions and showing improvement over the four runs.

The Amata runners converged on Yulara, along with 120 runners from 17 other communities, including teams from Indulkana and Mimili in the APY Lands. The event was supported and organised by the Indigenous Marathon Foundation (IMF).

The young Amata champions met inspiring people at the amazing, jam-packed weekend, as they attended the Welcome and Presentation Dinners and raced in the three and five kilometre Championship Runs.

For a second year, the Traditional Owners and the Mutitjulu Community invited all teams to run in a very special relay around Uluru, carrying a baton of significance brought from each community. At the end of the race, the batons were presented to Aboriginal Elder Uncle Reggie Uluru and Senior Desert Woman Auntie Alison Hunt.

Amata presented their baton after finishing 12th. Their baton was a 'Mungari', which is a head ring worn to balance bowls on top of the head and was made by women at the Tjala Art Centre.

Evan, Hannah, Sharon and Elesoar gave 100 per cent all weekend and embraced the IMF motto of ‘Run, Sweat, Inspire’, representing their community with heart and pride.

Former World Marathon Champion, and Director of the Indigenous Marathon Foundation, Robert de Castella welcomes the impact of the event.

“So many communities, so many kids and adults all put in 100 per cent,” Robert said.

“They are going home with stories that will inspire, and lead to more people wanting to come next year.”

The race might be over but its impact on the four champions is not.

“I want to stay healthy all the time,” Evan said.

“No junk food. I want to be healthy. I want to keep running,” Hannah said.

Sharon agreed, “Yes, I want to be fit and healthy all the time.”

And what about running through the streets of New York one day? All agreed, they want to be there.

Find out more

Ensuring the health and wellbeing of residents of Indigenous communities is a priority of the Australian Government.

The Deadly Fun Run series receives funding from the Australian Government’s Department of Health.

The Indigenous Marathon Foundation provides an opportunity for Indigenous men and women to run the New York Marathon, inspiring the nation and encouraging healthy active lifestyles.