Former marathon great Robert De Castella is going to train six young Indigenous athletes to run the New York City marathon at the end of 2011.
He believes Indigenous Australians may have similar genetic advantages to the African runners that currently dominate the sport.
The running group have no previous athletics training but are fit and show promise.
“I’m absolutely confident we can get them to the finish line,” Robert De Castella told The 7:30 Report.
The initiative is part of The Marathon Project – a community initiative aiming to help indigenous athletes and their communities.
In the inaugural year of the project, the runners will not only compete in the New York City marathon, but attend special training camps at the AIS, and complete a Certificate III in Indigenous Health, Fitness, and Recreation, training them to become Health and Fitness Educators in their Communities.
As part of the project, De Castella also hopes to organise community races, fun runs, walks, training sessions and other events in remote outback communities.
According to The Marathon Project website, De Castella ultimately hopes to have an Australian indigenous runner compete in the 2016 Olympic marathon.
To find out more about the project, visit www.themarathonproject.com.au.
SOURCE: www.themarathonproject.com.au