Recently retried NRL players James Graham and Luke Burgess are putting the finishing touches to preparations for their next challenge, taking on The Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon this Sunday, 15 May.
Graham and Burgess will be running as a part of the Athletes for Life team, joining a number of former professional athletes who work with the organisation to re-engage with sport once they finish playing at the top level.
The group have swapped footy boots for running shoes and will take on the 21.1km event this Sunday, joining more than 10,000 others as they weave their way through Sydney’s CBD.
“It’s going to be the longest I’ve ever run, I’m just looking forward to the challenge, I’ve never run that far before, we’ve been training for a couple of months now with a good group of us and this is what we’ve been pushing ourselves for,” said Graham. “I’m excited to see what the occasion does and if I can actually complete it, there’s a little bit of nerves, a little bit of excitement, it’s a new challenge for me but one I’m really excited about.”
Athletes for Life was co-founded by former rugby player Nick Youngquest, with the group helping former athletes work through the various challenges they face once their professional sporting careers come to an end.
“Nick and I have a couple of mutual friends and he contacted me to see if I’d be interested in starting something with Athletes for Life, one of the aspects of it is the reengagement into physical activity and having a challenge to overcome and doing it as a group,” said Graham. “It’s so beneficial, we run twice a week and most importantly we run on a Saturday and that has a direct influence on my decisions on a Friday evening which I’ve found to be really beneficial. Even just overcoming the mental adversary, the first run we did it was around the nine or 10km mark which was probably the furthest I’ve run in a long time, even including when I was playing, I finished that and I was aching all over, we weren’t even going fast, I thought to myself I don’t know if I can do this again and then some to get to the half marathon.
“I thought I’d keep going to keep Nick happy, didn’t want to quit on the first run, but slowly and surely that endurance and ability to run that far has gotten so much better and it’s added another flow on effect in terms of my stretching, looking after myself, being involved with other like-minded people, the benefits have been so great for me. Now that I’m in that space of the retired athletes I think programs like Athletes for Life can really make a difference.”
Graham, Burgess and Youngquest, along with Jonathon Wright, Joe Williams, Dean Jamison and Hayden Blair will run alongside more than 10,000 others on Sunday as The Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon returns to the streets of Sydney for the first time since 2019.
“It’s going to be very different, I don’t know quite what to expect, I’ve played in some big games and all of that, obviously I’m not playing for a trophy or two points or anything like that, but it’s going to be interesting to be on that start line with 10,000 people all trying to run to the end point,” said Graham. “The running community is a really strong one, I’m learning some sayings along the way, people are talking up split times, and negative splits, all that sort of stuff is new to me, even things like the bibs and tracking and there’s going to be pacers, I’m picking up the lingo as I go trying to sound like I know what I’m talking about.
“At least I’m not going to have anyone there attempting to put a shoulder through me, I’ve got that benefit, I’m not going to be anywhere near as nervous, the variables are obviously a bit more controlled in running, run from point A to point B as fast as you can, that’s the focus, it’s a challenge that I’m really looking forward to, my goal is to complete it and see how I go,” he said.
For Luke Burgess the lure of working towards the goal of taking on the New York Marathon was a big one.
“This will be the furthest I’ve ever run in my entire life, I’m definitely not built for long distance running so it’s a whole new challenge for me,” said Burgess. “Probably about four months ago Nick (Youngquest) called me and asked if I’d be interested in doing a marathon, which of course I wasn’t, and then he mentioned that we were going to do the New York Marathon and I love New York and it’s for a great cause, I never thought I’d run a marathon, weighing 110kgs, I’m carrying a lot of weight but it’s been great, I’ve really enjoyed the training, Nick has put together a great training program, it’s been nice to keep honest and stick to something, I’m looking forward to it now.
“5km was the longest I’ve run before this, and my furthest run in this training is 18km, I’ve really enjoyed it, the time you have to yourself when you’re out running, you think about a lot, listen to those voices in your head, positive and negative, I’ve missed some of those conversations with myself so it’s been great,” he said.
Also joining the group on Sunday is former rugby player Dean Jamison. Jamison is an experienced personal trainer who challenges himself by chasing big waves around the world.
“I’m pumped for it, we’ve put in the work and we’ve logged 32 runs, now it’s time to put all that work on the line and get it done on Sunday, I’m stoked and looking forward to it,” said Jamison. “Nick and I have been friends for a long time, since we were kids, I had never run in an event of any type before, fun runs or anything like that, and he said would I be interested in running. At first I said no, I’m not a runner, I can’t that sort of distance, but where you put the energy and focus we’ve managed to do some really long runs and no doubt we’ll get it done on Sunday.
“One of the things I’ve really enjoyed about the preparation for the run is that Athletes for Life have got a group of guys together and I’ve enjoyed being a part of that community and doing it with other people and other former athletes. It gives you something to dial in on and hone in on,” he said. “Because I’m a personal trainer I’ve really enjoyed the performance side of things as well. I’ve been quite infatuated with the numbers and the speed and times and distance, and the program that Nick has put together. I’m looking forward to the environment, I’ve heard a lot of great things and with 10,000 people running we’re going to be drawing on a lot of that energy to help push me through seeing as it’s my first running event ever.”
Nick Youngquest said that the group was looking forward to getting to the start line this weekend.
“Everyone is pretty pumped, for me getting these guys to the start line for their first race has been really cool, the boys have really enjoyed getting back into physical activity, especially running which is something that they’ve never taken part in before,” said Youngquest. “For me it’s been great to see their improvement, and get them into the buzz of running and these races has been super cool. The end goal for these guys is the finish line in New York City and I’m glad that they can participate in their first formal race here Sydney and then onwards to the full marathon.
“This is one little aspect of helping with a positive transition to life after professional sport, it’s a stepping stone to making better decisions, giving these guys the accountability to turn up for each other is something that we miss when we step away from sport, so getting that back for them and getting back into a team environment and they know they don’t want to let any team mates down and things like has been really good, seeing them take on a more positive outlook on renewing their purpose to sport and running marathons.”
Youngquest said that James Graham had impressed him during the program, both with his commitment and the attitude he’s brought.
“There’s a reason why James Graham is such a likeable guy, in sport in general, he’s very astute and he’s just genuine, and the way he’s taken to running is quite interesting, I think it’s the same way as how he conducted himself when playing professional sport, he just turns up week after week and just wants to learn about running first of all and just wants to see the improvement and it’s so cool to see him kind of renew a passion for running,” said Youngquest. “It’s been good to see him enjoy his running and hone in on the numbers and learn more and more about running.”
The 21.1km The Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon starts on Macquarie Street, adjacent to Martin Place, with runners working their way through the Sydney CBD, along the harbour foreshore, taking a loop through Pyrmont before heading past Barangaroo and into the Royal Botanic Gardens, before finishing on Park Street at Hyde Park.
