WISE WORDS: MELINA MELLINO

MELINA MELLINO

DIRECTOR AT PERTH TRAIL SERIES

I grew up playing soccer. It was all consuming, and I was on multiple teams rushing from one place to the next competing on a national level. I’m originally from the US, and when you live there and you’re told at a young that you’ve got to go to college, you’ve either got to come from money or be good at sport to secure a scholarship. So I trained hard. It was stressful, and I’d always sneak out to the parks and trails to breathe. I’d run. I’d sit. I’d contemplate. It’s where I connected with myself and found a stillness amongst all the noise. I joined the military to chase adventure and pay for my college. I was stationed stateside, and overseas in South Korea, Afghanistan and Turkey. I did some other deployments too, but these were all yearlong stints. Afterwards, I returned to Afghanistan, then Turkey and eventually ended up in Perth, Western Australia to study to be a naturopath. Then of course I met a handsome man and fell in love. During that process I found my purpose and community, which brings us to now. In the military, my extra duty involved helping all the guys who couldn’t pass their fitness test to get in shape. I took them off the track and onto grass, dirt and trails. It was there that they actually enjoyed it, which supported them continuing even after they passed their test. It was about this same time that I discovered trail running was a ‘thing’. I never knew about the sport and would never have called myself a trail runner, but once I put a name to what it was I did, I was hooked. That was in 2005. During my naturopath studies I quickly realised that the root cause of most, if not all, of our ailments are due to stress and lifestyle. We hate our jobs, we’re way too stressed out and have unhealthy ways to cope. So, I did some soul searching on what it is that we needed – we need to have fun! We need to move our bodies, belong to a friendly, happy community, and we need nature. Being new to Perth at the time, I googled ‘trail running’ and found there was a small community of trail runners with a few events happening. I got involved and quickly realised that sharing the trails with people was something I wanted to do full time. In 2015 I started race directing and organising other events. The first couple years were the most challenging of my life, but with the support and help of an amazing partner, friends and community – here we are. We’re very lucky in Perth to have a great range of places to run. It’s a huge space filled with awesome variety of different landscapes. From the 1000km Bib Track to multiple circuits of accessible trails within an hour’s drive of the CBD, and the distinctive feature they share is pea gravel. It’s unique to WA! We have an amazing coastline, deep majestical forests with massive karri trees, I mean… you’ve just got to run through them. The Stirling Ranges have a challenging traverse called Ridge Top Walk and there are so many other peaks which provide an alpine experience. We’re so lucky and if you haven’t been, put it on your list! One of the best things about being the PTS director is being that person who gets to welcome everyone onto the trails. It’s not just about a race – it’s about the lifestyle. From trail etiquette and looking after each other and the environment to having a sense of adventure. The most important thing people learn through PTS is to ‘woo hoo’ or high five and have fun. You’re instantly welcomed into a friendly community of people who want to encourage you to give it a go, and to do your best. The inspiration I get from people with how trail running and the PTS community has changed their lives is a large part of my why. After every event or social run, people always comment how amazing it is too see other runners of all abilities sharing a ‘woo hoo’ and high five. Then there are the people that share with me how trail running and the PTS community have saved their lives. From very dark places or physical health issues, trail running and simply being in nature with like-minded people has saved many lives, and I’m blessed to be a part of that story. The trail community is what has kept me going. Organising events and everything that comes with that is extremely challenging and often time consuming. Getting to connect with my community of enthusiastic runners, many of which are close friends, through weekly social runs or even on social weekends is like a boost of energy. We all have a love for something that is good and healthy. The support and shared enthusiasm for being on the trails, regardless of your ability, is something very special. It’s great to see the quicks out there on the trail blazing away at speed and they get the same greetings, respect, hugs and high fives as the people at the back of the pack doing what they can, and that’s very special and rare.

I don’t get to do as many events as I used to, however my favourite WA event that I get to run in is the 3 Inch (the 23km event that is part of the 6 Inch Trail Marathon) in December. It’s a non-technical undulating run and it’s got an awesome community vibe. I’ve completed it a few years in a row now and won it the virtual year where it was cancelled last minute due to extreme heat. I also ran the Kalgoorlie Pipeline half marathon in 2021 and stuck at a 5.05 pace the entire way through. That was a first to run to a pace and I loved it. It’s an off road event however there’s only 60m of vert so it’s flat and fast. And finally I love challenges – I recently completed the Ridge Top Walk in 9 hours 12 minutes; that’s 43.5km with 2300m vert in the supported category.

DURO | DYNA

Running doesn’t suck but it is hard. Each glorious long run in the mountains is the result of countless hours of training; early mornings, late nights, tired legs and no excuses. The Duro/Dyna makes every race or run easier with bounce-free stability and options that accommodate everything from after-work jaunts to long days in the mountains. So keep training.

That’s how the Good Days are Made.