They ran under the banner of Salvos Striders, a running group within the Salvation Army church. Our sports team met them at the airport. The young and energetic youths were first-timers in the annual Gold Coast Airport marathon, staged on the 5th to the 6th of July. They were greeted by family and Salvation Army members upon their arrival from Brisbane today.
The youngest participant was 17-year-old Maimu Kala, who only managed to run half of the 42 km distance. She spoke passionately about the challenges she faced and the achievement encountered as part of the PNG Youth Ambassadors Marathon Mentoring Program.
The PNG Youth Ambassadors Marathon Mentoring program has provided the runners the opportunities to not only compete in the marathon, but to go on to train and earn qualifications in health and fitness. The 18 runners embraced the event with fond memories of their participation and meeting with Australian national rugby league team, Brisbane Broncos. For Philip Murry, it’s just the beginning of good things to come. He was proud of his team bringing back gold.
