Why I’m running the Gold Coast marathon for LIVIN-By Jake Malby

Jake Malby is no stranger to running; no stranger to facing challenges and no stranger to throwing a huge amount of support behind LIVIN and his participation in this years Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Marathon is no exception as he runs not one, but two, marathons!   

We caught up with Jake in between work, running training, yoga sessions and some volunteer firefighting training to have a chat about his involvement in this years marathon and his ‘why’ behind being a part of it. 

FOR THOSE WHO DON’T ALREADY KNOW YOUR BACK STORY, WHAT MADE YOU GET INTO RUNNING? 

I was introduced to running when I was in a really low point of my life in 2016.. suffering in silence for a number of years.. I had enough so I reached out to my brother Ben. He took me in, gave me all the love and support I needed in that time and then a couple of weeks later he told me that he had signed me up for a 25km trail race in Nerang State Forest.  For someone like Ben who would run at least a hundred kilometres a week it was expected, but for someone like myself it was a massive feat. But not only did that race give me a huge sense of self-achievement, it was also the first time in a very long time I had a quiet mind and felt free from all negative thoughts.

HOW IMPORTANT IS REGULAR TRAINING AND ROUTINE TO YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE? 

Regular training keeps my life structured. It allows me to have routine with training/work balance. I will train in the afternoons Monday to Friday, usually straight after work as I’m up early for working in Brisbane.  I usually leave my longer runs until the weekends and do them first thing in the morning. Having a regular routine in my life has helped my mental health immensely. 

TELL US ABOUT SOME OF THE POSITIVE EXPERIENCES AND PEOPLE YOU HAVE HAD/MET THROUGH RUNNING . . 

I have met people who I now call my best mates through running over the last four years.  There are a lot of people who run and have similar dealings with mental health and use running as a coping strategy to bettering their mental health.  I feel when you’re running with someone, it almost allows you to open up and share experiences and knowing you’re in a safe place to do so is something really special. 

DO YOU FEEL REGULAR EXERCISE HAS HELPED YOUR MENTAL HEALTH?  AND WOULD YOU RECOMMEND IT TO SOMEONE WHO IS STRUGGLING TO GET ACTIVE? 

It has helped my mental health massively. Keeping me accountable to get out each day and train gives me structure with my mental health as well as my physical health.  Having a purpose is a massive thing in allowing me to stay in the present moment. Constant training definitely helps me personally in minimising depressive and manic cycles with managing my bipolar but I would recommend to anyone, even if you’re feeling good about yourself, to exercise and you’ll notice that your mental health just keeps getting stronger. 

YOU ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE DOUBLE MARATHON THIS YEAR FOR THE GOLD COAST MARATHON AND RUNNING FOR TEAM LIVIN, CAN YOU TELL US YOUR ‘WHY’ FOR BEING A PART OF THIS EVENT? 

The Gold Coast marathon is a very special run for me, having run ever one since starting in 2016 in my home town. Being an official pace runner for three years and then running for LIVIN in 2019, I’m really excited about to be a part of it again this year and run for Team LIVIN two days in a row!  My ‘why’ would have to be spreading awareness on mental health and promoting the message that ‘It Ain’t Weak To Speak’ and running for Team LIVIN is an awesome way to do that. Speaking up and seeking help saved me and I want to encourage others to do the same. 

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE WHO HAS JUST STARTED TRAINING – EITHER FOR THE MARATHON OR JUST LONG DISTANCE RUNNING IN GENERAL? 

Take it nice and slow and don’t ramp up the training to quick. Maintaining consistency is key whilst slowly increase the kilometres. Most importantly, enjoy the process and all the positive change that will come to your life.

WHAT’S THE ONE THING YOU ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MOST AT THIS YEAR’S MARATHON? 

Being around thousands of likeminded people giving it their best! I really enjoy being in the race environment watching others get their achievements.  I’m also looking forward to it being a really good test to see how my training is coming along for another big initiative I’m doing for LIVIN, Project Moving Forward which is a 24 hour run raising funds for LIVIN. Myself and my best mate Brad will be running for 24 hours straight so it will be good to see how I pull up after the double marathon event which is new to the Gold Coast Marathon.  I’m just stoked to be a part of it and can’t wait to see everyone out there on race weekend! 

If you are wanting to support the legends that are running in Team LIVIN in the 2021 Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Marathon, Click Here to Donate. 

 Jake Malby, all smiles after finishing the 2019 Gold Coast Marathon!  Photo credit: Gold Coast Bulletin