Waynead is a marathon runner
Waynead is a marathon runner. Every morning, 21 year-old Waynead chooses to overcome the challenges faced by many young people in his community. He wakes up early, laces up his running shoes and hits red dirt tracks on his way out of town.
A member of the remote community of Aurukun, Waynead is literally and figuratively running a marathon against the tide of disadvantage, carrying with him the hope that he can inspire other young First Nations people to chase down their dreams, just like he has.
“I faced a lot of challenges here [Aurukun], growing up in a remote community because you see a lot of things happen and it can sometimes get to you. We’re away from everyone.”
In 2014, a 12 year-old Waynead walked into PCYC Aurukun for the first time. Initially unsure of what the club and its team members could offer him, Waynead soon realised it was the kind of place more of his fellow Aurukun young people should visit.
“Walking into PCYC Aurukun that day changed my life for the better. They gave me a safe place to come to, they’ve helped me achieve my goals and we’ve had so much fun along the way.”
Waynead says his early years at PCYC Aurukun gave him the skills and confidence to consider how he could put his talent and love for running into achieving something of note for himself and his community.
He became a member of the Kang Kang Youth Leadership Team—a group of young people committed to giving back to their community—becoming a leader of the younger members of his community at the Club, whilst also influencing positive change throughout the broader community. The Team has held community engagement events like the inaugural NAIDOC Youth Week Ball, the Youth Week Sports Exchange to connect with young people from other Indigenous communities and led initiatives like a Child Protection Month.
In 2021, he completed his first running marathon in Alice Springs as part of the Indigenous Marathon Project (IMP) and in 2022, travelled 13,000km from his town in the Western Cape of Australia to Athens, Greece, to run The Authentic Athens Classic Marathon. The first in his family to ever leave the country, Waynead completed the gruelling 42km run, capping off years of training, personal development and a ceaseless commitment to achieving his goal.
The Dream
“I went to Greece to become a marathon runner for myself, but I also wanted to show the kids I live with here in Aurukun they can do what they dream of too—that was the most important thing for me.”
In 2021, Waynead was selected out of almost 150 applicants across Australia to participate in the Indigenous Marathon Project. Youth Club Manager Sergeant Steve, Youth Support Service Coordinator Norma and the PCYC Aurukun team began supporting Waynead in his training for what they hoped would one day lead him to his dream to run a marathon. [First Name,], we urgently need your support to ensure our 56 clubs can continue to support over 50,000 young people each year by giving them the chance to achieve their dreams and change their stories, just as Waynead has.
Waynead & Steve Running
“We would be up before dawn with Waynead, mapping out his training run and making sure he had fuelled up with a good breakfast or pre-run snack,” Steve says.
“Then we’d jump in the PCYC ute—one of us would drive, the others would either be running with Waynead or, when they got tired, cheering him on from the car with distance updates and the motivation he really needed on those longer runs.”
When the opportunity to run in the Athens Marathon with IMP arose, Waynead said it was with the PCYC’s support that he was able to make the decision to go, despite his nerves.
“It’s a long way from Aurukun to Athens,” he says.
“I had to really think about how I would get there, not just physically but what I would need to take with me.”
The PCYC Aurukun team leapt into action, helping Waynead to obtain a passport, holding a 12-hour Walkathon to raise funds to help Waynead secure the clothing, shoes and equipment he needed to compete in a marathon and to help pay for his trip.
The support provided to Waynead was more than shared kilometres and help to purchase running shoes though. PCYC Aurukun became Waynead’s safety net when challenges in his life threatened to de-rail his success.
Waynead says without Steve, Norma and the Aurukun team’s support, he never would have made it to Greece.
“They kept me focused on my training when I had things going on at home. They made sure I ate right, had all the gear I needed and got the community behind me, which was a really great feeling,” he says.
Norma says the sense of pride when the community farewelled Waynead was immense.
“The whole room swelled with pride, it was amazing to see,” she says.
“We all had tears in our eyes and you could see the little kids literally looking up at Waynead with a sense of wonder—they were thinking ‘hey I could do that too’.”
Since returning from Greece, as a newly-minted international marathon runner, Waynead has been committed to sharing his story and remaining a visible young leader in the community.
“We’re the drivers of our own destiny and I think it’s important that we should be our own voices,” Waynead says of the young people of Aurukun.
“PCYC opens up our eyes to what we can become and gives us a safe space to try our best.”
Our mission of building safer, healthier communities through youth development looks different in every community we support.
For young people like Waynead, creating pathways through sport and recreation is a powerful tool in developing the confidence, leadership and self-determination young people need to succeed in life.
Every day at PCYCs across the state, young people are engaged in sport as a gateway to stronger connections and deeper conversations with trusted adults. It is imperative that this door remains open for any young person to walk through and start their journey with us.
