Sport
‘You sort of fall in love with it’: Kyabram’s Matt Mann inspires at the Chicago Marathon
For Kyabram’s Matt Mann, running a marathon is about more than crossing the line - it’s a culmination of hard work, mental toughness and overcoming whatever life throws at you.
Taking on the Chicago Marathon on October 9, Mann put in another inspirational performance to complete his second marathon, with the achievement another step in a journey that continues to evolve.
"A lot of it for me is just about setting goals and chasing dreams,“ Mann said.
“It was unbelievable to race with 40,000 people.
“It was an amazing experience, the support that Chicago put behind it is unbelievable.”
Following an unusual path to discovering his love for running, a heart attack at the age of 28 led to Mann giving up football, before the mental and physical toll of not participating in sports led to him pulling on a pair of runners.
"I went from training twice a week and playing footy to basically nothing and sort of getting lazy and depressed,“ he said.
“I was looking for something to get into and I remembered I was always all right at running.
“My dad had done the Run for the Kids in Melbourne about 10 years earlier, so I thought I’d give that a crack.
“It just went from there, you sort of fall in love with it.”
Completing the Chicago race in a time of 4.07:56, Mann was happy with how his run went.
He said for him running a marathon was all about the challenge and seeing how much you could push yourself.
“It really helps you mentally and physically to be able to get through other life situations too,” he said.
“When you finish a run you never feel bad, ever.
“Every time I go for a run it just makes the day so much better, whether it’s morning or night."
Crediting running with changing his life, Mann believed his post-football journey was similar to what a lot of other people go through, with people not knowing what else to do once they stop playing the game.
He said “running should be on more people’s agenda” with the joy of going for a run, or participating in a race of any distance - almost unrivalled.
“It’s a sport with a really great atmosphere,” he said.
“I’ve done the Melbourne Marathon and that was really good with a lot of support, but compared to Chicago I could not believe the amount of people that come out and support it.
“I try to encourage people to just get out and give it a go.
“Get out and get moving is the key, if you sit inside you can’t change anything, but if you get out and get moving you’ll feel good.”