Australia’s Largest Marathon Event Brings People Together

People who are happy to participate in the race in MELBOURNE, Victoria on Oct. 14, 2018. (Yu Jiuya / The Epoch Times)

Just outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), around 35,000 runners were waiting at the starting line under the 27-degree heat.

Early in the morning, the flares popped off and wisps of green smoke lingered in the air while a river of people murmured beyond the starting line, pacing themselves for Australia’s largest annual marathon event—“Medibank Melbourne Marathon Festival.”

The marathon begins in Melbourne, Victoria on Oct. 13, 2018. (Yu Jiuya / The Epoch Times)

The 40 km run was held in the heart of Melbourne on Oct. 14, which attracted people of all ages and backgrounds.

Melbourne’s Sinead Diver stole the spotlight when she broke the record for the women’s full-time marathon.

She finished 42.195 kilometers in 2 hours, 25 minutes and 19 seconds, creating a new record and winning the audience’s warm cheers.

“It’s so tough, it’s good, it’s so nice to finish at the [MCG], and have everyone cheering you on. This is just amazing,” Diver told The Epoch Times. “This year has been one of my best years and really wanted to cap it off with a good marathon.”

Sinead Diver won the women's full-time championship in the Medibank Melbourne Marathon on On Oct. 14, 2018. (Yu Jiuya / The Epoch Times)

Famed Aussie personal trainer Michelle Bridges is an ambassador for Medibank. She helped the runners stay in a healthy warm-up for the big day in the Medibank yoga zone through words of encouragement and giving tips on preventing injury.

Along the marathon path was a display of statue-still meditators wearing yellow shirts and white trousers, decorating the neatly-cultivated landscape. These Falun Dafa practitioners demonstrated their still-to-slow-moving exercises in the Queen Victoria Gardens—opposite the National Gallery of Victoria.

Some Falun Dafa practitioners from Melbourne performed demonstrations along the Medibank Melbourne Marathon on Oct. 14, 2018. (Yu Jiuya / The Epoch Times)

They caught the eye of passers-by who took flyers and lotus flowers from Falun Dafa practitioners. Among the passers-by were locals, young Argentinians, and curious Italian.

Some of the passers-by were people that walked alongside the marathon runners. They were drawn to the demonstration of the mediation that improved physical and mental well-being.

Out of curiosity, they would inquire about the practice to understand the practice’s benefits.

The marathon event brought health, happiness, and well-being in their own way—by raising over $1.3 million for fundraisers and charities.

Sixty-six participants from Archer’s Army took part in a variety of different races to raise money for Archer, a five-year-old boy diagnosed with stage four Burkitt’s Lymphoma. The participants managed to raise $24,000 for the little guy.

Along the way, volunteers helped guide the route, handed out water, and many family and friends cheered the players, bringing a warm atmosphere.

Marathon runners moving down the road in Melbourne, Victoria on Oct. 14, 2018. (Yu Jiuya / The Epoch Times)

The marathon consisted of six types of races with different degrees of difficulty.

The first race started at 7 a.m. and all races end at 2 p.m. The players set off from Rod Laver Arena, passed St Kilda Road, made a round trip along Port Phillip, and finally returned to the MCG for the last leg of the race.

Liam Adams won the men’s full-time marathon championship, he finished the race in 2 hours, 15 minutes and 13 seconds and won a prize of AU$20,000.

By Zhou Yuqing