AFTER globetrotting to run 52 marathons over 52 weeks in 2010, ‘Run Like Crazy’ author Tristan Miller will pay homage to the man who did it all first at the 43rd Geoff Watt memorial half marathon and fun run in Warragul on 27 October.
Miller’s remarkable journey, documented in his aforementioned book, paralleled that of the run’s namesake who travelled the world to contest distance events in the 1950s and 60s.
Watt’s two-year running odyssey began in Boston before weaving through North America, Canada, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.
He ran and trained with dual Olympic marathon winner and famous barefoot runner Abebe Bikila, conquered Mount Kilimanjaro and recorded a fourth place finish at the London-Brighton 54-mile ultra marathon in that time.
Not bad for a self proclaimed “ordinary mediocre runner… flat out running a mile in four minutes and 40 seconds”.
Having recently learned about Watt’s incredible voyage, Miller decided to take part in the run as a show of respect for a kindred spirit.
“I could have honestly planned my trip based on what he did but fundamentally what he did was a lot more difficult because you couldn’t travel the same way back in the 50s,” he said.
“I could bounce to all these different countries on a plane… he was hitch-hiking a lot of the time and spent 84 pounds and I spent literally over my year $120,000. It was a vastly different kind of effort.
“I just think it’s incredible what he achieved in those couple of years… how he managed to pull that off.”
Watt stands alone as a legendary pioneer but Miller’s effort defies physical boundaries.
Running at least one marathon per week, and at times two in as many days, the Belgrave-born bounder said the experience, which came after he lost his dream job at Google during the global financial crisis, was life changing.
“I decided to take it as a catalyst for change,” Miller said.
“Running, and distance running specifically, is just a reflection of life. It’s supposed to get a bit tough and then you learn a few things, you go back to and get better at it and all of a sudden it turns into a bit of a dream.
“I think that’s the same with our careers and everything else, you’ve just got to try a little bit harder, have bigger goals.”
Now an international ambassador for running, Miller will be joined at this year’s run by another high profile athlete, 17-time Australian middle distance champion Tamsyn Manou (nee Lewis).
The run was revived in 2010 by Watt’s daughter and dual Olympic cycling gold medallist Kathy Watt, and features half marathon, 10 kilometre, 5km and 2.5km distances.
The route traverses scenic Warragul farmland, beginning at the Warragul Athletics Club which Watt himself helped establish before he died of exposure on a training run at Mount Erica.
A full account of Watt’s world tour, along with registration information, is available on the run website at geoffwattrun.com.au
