2001: Marathon man

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Tags: BEL, extreme sports, fundraising, music, sport, summer-2010

Scott Griffin, BCom, BSc

Scott Griffin

UQ Business School graduate Scott Griffin successfully completed a six-day, 250km ultra-marathon across the Kimberlies to raise funds for contemporary Australian music.

One-hundred-and-eighty-five competitors ran across the desert in Western Australia, with Mr Griffin, a Brisbane-based accountant, placing 33rd.

His injuries included blisters on his feet and a damaged tailbone. He also lost five toenails.

“On day 5 at 8pm, when I reached the 60km mark of the 100km challenge, I had to decide whether to keep running in the dark through 20km of croc territory or pull out,” Mr Griffin said.

“The main reason people pulled out was too much pain and this race had the highest drop-out rate of any race they have held.”

Mr Griffin said while making it to the finish line was tough, the race was a valuable experience.

“I met amazingly inspirational people – a famous musician from Germany; a female Korean film producer, who has now run six desert races including Antarctica; and of course Salvador, the winner, who is an absolutely amazing athlete,” he said.

Mr Griffin said the race was also an apt opportunity to raise funds for a worthwhile cause – The Australian Voices (TAV), one of the country’s leading choirs.

“Without a doubt this race was an amazing event to help raise funds for TAV and Australian music,” he said.

“I have sung to audiences all over the world and we sing about Australia – about Uluru, the Glasshouse Mountains, the Great Barrier Reef and our deserts.

“What better way to really understand Australia than to travel across it on foot?”

His best advice to anyone thinking of taking on a big challenge was to stay positive.

“Sometimes big goals seem impossible or unachievable. The secret is to break them into small pieces and stay optimistic. Optimism is so underrated,” he said.

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