Running events always seem to have a purpose, and not one designed for the individual alone. Charities and fundraisers normally serve as the backbone for countless running events with folks coming together for a common cause. The spirit wrapped inside these types of events displaces the running itself, and instead makes the experience one of empowerment and generosity. And while each event holds a sincere significance to all involved, the need associated with the Marysville Marathon Festival is dynamically real on so many levels.

Marysville, Australia, a cozy town nestled in the Victorian Alps, home to an endless string of tourists and the former stop-over for those on their way to the goldfields at Woods Point in the late nineteenth century, was nearly obliterate on Black Saturday, February 7, 2009, in a fiery inferno. With a devastating loss of life, the town now seeks to rebuild and rise from the proverbial ashes; however, the task exists as near impossible without the help of others. Thus, the Marysville Marathon Festival was born.

A place that was once teeming with tourist accommodations and events, Marysville now has little left, and calls upon runners, walkers, and virtually anyone to come join this critical inaugural and possibly annual event. The festival holds four trials: a full marathon, a half marathon, a 10k run/walk, and a 3k run/walk. Serious runners can cover the full or half course while those who just wish to support a more-than-worthy cause can bring their families and walk the other distances. The roads are wheelchair and stroller accessible, except for one small portion of gravel, and the race officials permit pets on leads, especially on the short course.

The community needs you to help, so make your way down if possible. People in the world must embrace each other, and reaching out to those in need, even on other continents and under foreign flags, makes this planet a better place to live. Run the Marysville Marathon Festival to not only support a town's recovery, but also, and maybe more importantly, to show the real strength in humanity.