Brady Threlfall has been running for 19 years and competed in more than 250 races over the course of his extremely successful career.
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Threlfall’s most recent competition was the Morley Auto Triathlon where he participated in a mixed team and emerged victorious.
The running sensation began a serious career in running at the age of 22 after finding his passion for it at 16.
“I’ve been doing it a long time now so there’s a few kilometres in the legs,” Threlfall said.
“I’ve run my best last year at 34.
“I had my best year with all my personal bests, and I thought I’d maybe peaked a few years ago and I’d start to go downhill.”
Threlfall has recorded some impressive personal bests, running 5km in 14 minutes and nine seconds.
He has completed a 10km run in only 29 minutes and 34 seconds, a half marathon in one hour, five minutes, and 27 seconds, and a full 42km marathon in two hours, 19 minutes and 53 seconds.
“I do running because I’m good at it,” Threlfall said.
“You get up and you go for a run and that’s a good way to start the day.”
Threlfall raced 17 times last year around the globe.
He competed in more than 10 Australian championships, three Berlin marathons, two Japanese marathons and a marathon in Spain.
The opportunity to travel in his career has given Threlfall insight into different cultures’ relationships with sports.
“Japan treats running like we treat AFL football or cricket,” Mr Threlfall said.
“It’s been cool to travel the world and combine that with my passion for running.”
Threlfall discovered his passion for running at the age of 15 through umpiring football games with his father.
“I figured out the faster you could run, the better games you got to umpire, and then the more you got paid,” he said.
“So, I started practising, and then I figured out that I was actually pretty good at the running side of things, so then I started doing races from there.
“I kind of accidentally discovered it.”
Threlfall plans to race at a Gold Coast marathon in July and a December marathon in Spain this year, these races being his large-scale competitions.
He also takes part in the Victoria State League as an athlete during the winter season where he will travel to several locations in Victoria.
He also participates in 10km cross-country races between marathons.
“During winter there’s probably six or seven cross-country races that I do, which is pretty hard because it’s hilly and muddy,” Threlfall said.
“In Echuca-Moama, there are no hills, so you don’t have anything to practise on.
“Marathons are hard because they’re so far and you can only do one or two a year because they take so long to recover from afterwards, whereas a cross-country race you might do one and then have a week off.”
Threlfall trained vigorously for his craft last year, running nearly 30km each day in a split of 18km and 10km.
“20k for me would probably take an hour and 20 minutes so it’s not hard to find time,” he said.
“Most people are probably watching an hour and 20 minutes of Netflix some days.
“It’s just prioritising more than anything.”
Threlfall currently coaches online to share the knowledge he has gained over the years and help others with their running goals.
“It’s about stressing the body and then recovering from it,” he said.
“I think if I do get to a stage where I’m not competing anymore I’ll spend more time in that coaching space.
“It’s important now at my age to be a bit more of a role model and encourage other people to do it as well.”
Threlfall is confident retirement is not on the horizon until he is no longer competitive.
“I’m just as eager to go train as I was when I was 17 and still just as hungry to race,” he said.
“I want to get the best out of my body.
“I still think I’m competitive and I still think we can win this triathlon on the weekend, and I still think I can run close to my PB.”
Threlfall is targeting his weakness by travelling to locations with inclines.
“I think one of my weaknesses is not having hills to run on, so I don’t get to smash my legs on the uphill and downhill,” he said.
“I’m trying to create stronger legs to be able to handle the pounding from the marathon.
“It can feel good at the start, and then all of a sudden it can come and hit you if you go too hard.”
Threlfall shares the key to his success in running marathons.
“Being consistent is my biggest strength I’ve got as an athlete,” he said.
“I think I’m pretty resilient; you know, if it’s raining I’ll still go for a run, if it’s hot I’ll still go for a run, if I’ve had a big day or whatever it is at school I’ll still be out and train.
“It’s not always amazing but I’m always running at an okay level so that means I can consistently train.”
The runner has gone up against one of his very own role models, Steve Moneghetti, and won.
“I’ve had a couple of wins over him but he’s nowhere near what he was like at his best,” Threlfall said.
Threlfall discusses the mental and physical benefits of running.
“Running is a very simple sport where you do running races and then you compare them,” he said.
“It’s got so many good components to it: you can challenge yourself, it’s a healthy thing to do, and it’s good for the community.
“You don’t have to be an elite runner to run.”
Journalist