RUNNING ON IMPACT: KISSING THE ROADS GOODBYE
MELISSA THEK 43, WARRAGUL (VIC)
Melissa started running in 2010 as a way of helping her lose weight and to challenge herself to try something new. She stopped running a couple years later, then started again post-kids with weight-loss again as her goal. According to her, she ran on the treadmill and roads because that’s what everyone else was doing, but eventually Melissa hired a coach to help her run faster marathons. This particular coach ran trails, which inspired Melissa to give it a red hot crack too. She was converted. “On the trails, your success is not measured by your kilometre time; it’s measured by your achievement,” she says. “Meeting the cut-offs, navigating technical terrain and finishing is the achievement. Most importantly, though, trail runners are like a family. No matter what, they stop to help, encourage and assist. “You might run a trail alone, but you’re never fully alone.” Today, Melissa no longer runs for weight loss – she runs purely for personal achievement, saying the sport allows her to fully switch off for a few hours. “Trail running challenges me and teaches me just how hard my mind can push my body,” she reveals.
Melissa Thek pushes through in the 2023 28km Two Bays Trail Run. Image: Super Sport Images.
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