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Harold Matthew, who lives on the remote Thursday Island in Far North Queensland, was offered the running trip of a lifetime after a surprise call from former world champion marathon runner Rob de Castella who is the director of the Indigenous Marathon Foundation.
Matthew said the phone call from de Castella left him feeling “over the moon and a bit emotional”.
He said: “I am so proud to represent the whole of Australia, indigenous people, and my Torres Strait and Thursday Island communities. It’s something I will carry for the rest of my life.”
Living on a small island means marathon training has not been easy for Matthews. His runs have been made up of multiple 5km loops of the ring-road on Thursday Island, a 3.5-square-kilometre island in the Torres Strait, off the northern-most tip of Australia.
At this time of year, it’s hot and wet and the crocodile warning signs are out, but the beauty of his tropical home serves Matthew as a constant source of inspiration.
The 33-year-old Mauagal man is a 2014 graduate of the Indigenous Marathon Project, a program run by the Indigenous Marathon Foundation charity, which uses the marathon as a vehicle to promote healthy lifestyles to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
de Castella said that while it was difficult selecting a single person from the growing pool of 65 Indigenous Marathon Project graduates, it came down to choosing someone who had not only made an extraordinary contribution to the Project, but also possessed the physical and mental strength to take on London.
“Harold has always been ready, willing and able to step up and do whatever is needed to spread ripples of health, fitness and pride through his community,” de Castella said.
“London is one of the great marathons of the world, and it’s an amazing opportunity for us to send one of our Indigenous Marathon Project graduates to do it.”
Source: Virgin Money London Marathon
