On Episode 62 of the RMA Podcast we speak with Allirra Jennings, Australia’s first Indigenous Woman to finish all Six World Major Marathons. Allirra began her journey with running in 2013 after the death of her Grandmother from Diabetes. Allirra wanted to her story to be different, and so she took her health in her hands, and at 107kg she started running. First it was a shuffle, but the weight dropped off and soon she was running further than she ever thought she could. It was then that she realised that she could run a marathon if she worked hard and got the right support along the way.

She applied for the Indigenous Marathon Project, and was selected to be part of the team to train and work towards the New York Marathon, and in 2014 she crossed her first Marathon finish line. The rest is history.

Since then, Allirra has self-funded and run her way around the world, running at each World major marathon, New York, Chicago, Tokyo, London, Berlin and lastly this April in Boston to claim her Six Star Finisher Medal. Along the way Allirra has learned a lot about herself as a person, and has been a strong leader in her community, paving the way for connection and support for other Indigenous and Non-Indigenous women and men through her own initiatives such as founding the running group, The Darwin Deadly Runners and also a group supporting women running in Katherine, NT along with sharing her story.

Through this conversation you will hear how Allirra’s Grandmother Sadie, herself a survivor of the Stolen Generation inspired Allirra’s deep connection to her culture, and her memory was instrumental in motivating Allirra to do her best in all that she has done.

This conversation is heartwarming and educational, where we learn and celebrate Allirra’s Aboriginal Heritage and and the impact that that first step into a healthier lifestyle had on not only her and her wellbeing, but that of a whole Community.

You can follow Allirra and her journey over on Instagram at @allirra_runs and you can learn more about the Abbot World Major Marathon Series at https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com.

This podcast is brought to you by fisiocrem Australia.

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