Shepparton running legend Phil Podbury is celebrating a major Parkrun milestone.
Photo by
Kady Hadjab
Shepparton octogenarian Phil Podbury is proving age is just a number after completing his 180th parkrun.
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The Goulburn Valley runner remains the standard bearer for participants on Saturday mornings down at Victoria Park Lake, with his most recent outing seeing him race alongside MP Sam Birrell.
It appears the Federal Member for Nicholls was left impressed by the interaction and he reflected on the experience by urging his constituents to take inspiration during Men's Health Week.
“Phil is 83 years old, has completed 180 parkruns, and still runs 5km most Saturday mornings at a very good pace,“ Mr Birrell said.
“I ran with Phil at Shepparton parkrun on Sunday and he made me work for it.
“It's Men's Health Week and Men's Mental Health Month, and Phil is as good an example as I can think of of the value of staying active, staying connected, and taking care of your health.“
Phil Podbury (centre) volunteered at the Mother's Day Classic with Peter Frizzell, Kathy Fuller, Phil Podbury, Glenys Frizzell, Chris Nicholson.
Photo by
Ashley Darling
Back in April, Podbury, aged 83, donned his sneakers in Ballarat and ran the half marathon alongside fellow Shepparton Runners Club members Thomas Davis, Chris Armstrong, Norah Armstrong, Catherine Heard and Kylie Reither.
The next month, he formed part of the volunteers team at Shepparton’s 13th Annual Mother’s Day Classic on Sunday, May 10, helping to raise funds for research into breast and ovarian cancer.
A key turning point in his own journey came at the age of 25, as he made a conscious decision to cease smoking cigarettes and embrace running.
“I’ve been running constantly for 50 years now, what started me off was realizing you can’t smoke and run at the same time,” he laughed.
“Smoking went by the board and I’ve been running ever since!”
Nearly six decades on from that judgement call, he remains as committed as ever to running, which he credits with keeping him fighting fit, as well as providing him with a community of like-minded people.
“I’ve always been keen on fitness and have always watched what I eat and it’s also great for your mental health - while you’re out there running, you’re thinking and your mind is off everyday problems,” he said.
“It’s actually a great way to relax as it’s both mentally and physically stimulating.
“Basically, for 40 years I was a lone runner, I used to get up every morning around six o’clock and run for about an hour by myself.
“But in the last six or seven years, my daughter - who is also a runner - encouraged me to join the Shepparton Runners Club.
“I joined and I’ve never looked back and she also encouraged me to become a parkrunner every Saturday.
“We do 5km and it’s not a competition, it’s a timed-run so you’re timing against yourself which is very mentally and physically stimulating - as well as meeting great bunch of people.
“We all have a coffee afterwards which leads to making friends and having friendship through the week too and meeting up!”
Through Shepparton Runners Club, Podbury now has a coach too who helps him to build up the kilometres in his legs.
“He gives me a program to work on every week and it means I can build up the kilometres to ensure I avoid injury.”
Running five times on average per week, with two of these alongside the Shepparton Runners Club, plus the Shepparton parkrun, this means he runs approximately 40km over each seven day period.
“The number of people I’ve met since joining the club and doing parkruns has been phenomenal,” he said.
“The thing about parkrun is that it is open to all ages - even the other week there was a six-year-old running alongside her grandfather.
“She paced me the whole time and I thought ‘what other activity can you have a six-year-old and an 83-year-old partaking in the same pastime’ - it was brilliant!”
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