GARRY SCURRY 62, MELBOURNE (VIC)

Grant didn’t begin running seriously until his mid-30s, and hit the roads and pavement because ‘that’s just what everyone did.’ While learning about the sport, he’d noticed road events were quite prominent, and entering a marathon appeared to be the goal that most athletes would aim for.

At the time, he’d never heard of trail running before and even though he lived close to Mt Dandenong in Melbourne, with kilometres upon kilometres of trails, it had never crossed his mind to go up there and start discovering the off-road tracks.

“I guess I just followed the crowd and hit the roads,” he says.

“I had also joined a road running club and all our weekly runs were on the roads and bike tracks.”

But then Grant learned about Oxfam Trailwalker, and it gave him the push to try trails for the first time. He went on to complete the Two Bays 28km and now Grant only races in trail events, saying he loves the constantly changing environment and challenges of the terrain that make him a stronger runner.

“There’s nothing better than a long trail run with friends to just forget about life for a while and enjoy the fresh air and scenery,” he explains.

“I find I can escape daily life for a while I’m out on a trail run.”