The original goal of the Queanbeyan Deadly Runners was to "teach Indigenous people how to run five kilometres" according to coach and group founder, Georgia Gleeson, but many group members have well exceeded that expectation and are now aiming much higher.
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The Deadly Runners have recently returned from the Tuggeranong Parkrun, where some of the group's members ran their first five and 10-kilometre runs and recorded some great times.
Next up on the calendar is the Mother's Day Classic in May, where team members will look to improve their five and 10-kilometre times- a goal none of them were aiming for when they started running with the Qbn Deadly Runners.
"People in the community have a really good vibe about us and think it's a wonderful thing we're doing," group member Brendan Oldfield said.
"It's a social thing, builds confidence and fitness and encourages a healthy lifestyle.
"None of us have any excuse not to do it, so people think 'if they can do it I can'."
"We've eliminated most of the excuses," coach Gleeson said.
"It's been a lifechanging thing," Qbn Deadly Runner Tamsin Porter said.
"Everyone's so supportive and we've all improved."
60-year-old group member, Annette Christou proves age is no barrier: "As long as you're healthy and can run you can do it."
Gleeson established the group after she was selected to participate in Rob de Castella's Indigenous Marathon Project (IMP) and completed the New York Marathon.
She has since ran a number of marathons and fun runs and won her first five-kilometre run last month in Batemans Bay, in under 20 minutes.
The 32-year-old mother recently left her four children behind to chaperone a young Indigenous group from remote communities to Washington and Philadelphia as part of the IMP.
Queanbeyan Deadly Runners have the main aim to run 14 kilometres this August in the City2Surf and Gleeson will select two to four members of the 15-strong group to participate in the IMP's Deadly Fun Run Championships at Uluru in late July this year.
Gleeson will start a second group in October for novice runners and said the group has grown beyond what she could have imagined.
"I want it to get as big as it can, there's no downside to it," she said.
"I like that if any of them have to leave the group for any reason they know how to run and they know they believe they can do it."