focus_interview
Illuminate with KATE WOOD-FOYE
THE GUTS, GRIT AND GROUNDWORK OF REMARKABLE REGIONAL E N T R E P R E N E U R S , I N N O V AT O R S , LEADERS AND GAME CHANGERS.
KEVIN CHILVERS
Kevin Chilvers loves to #RunHappy and has used his own passion for running to inspire an entire community. His project Run Fest Port Macquarie is now in its 11th year and is becoming a fixture on the national circuit driving health, connection and tourism in our region with over 3,500 visitor nights to our beautiful region.
K
evin, you are a passionate advocate for the power of running not only for health but to connect the community, and have shared these passions in two key community formats - Port Macquarie Run Fest and Parkrun. What inspired you to begin your work in this space and how do you hope to make an impact? Many years ago, I stumbled upon Parkrun whilst on holiday and then I could only participate in the weekly events when travelling, as at the time there were no parkrun events between Newcastle and the QLD border. My first real step on this Run Fest journey started when I saw a post on Facebook featuring a picture of our iconic lighthouse and seeking expressions of interest for locals to get involved in starting a parkrun event in Port Macquarie. After 18 months of team effort, Port Macquarie Parkrun was launched in October 2015 with 350 participants taking on the inaugural event. Soon after I was asked to take on a Territory Management role for Parkrun Australia, working with event teams on the
98 GREATER PORT MACQUARIE
focus
NSW Mid Coast to Northern NSW with new events being launched in Forster, Wauchope, Urunga, Coffs Harbour, Lismore and Ballina. Late in 2016 I took on the role to manage the Run Fest events in Port Macquarie and Forster-Tuncurry. This has been a life changing experience for me to do something good for the local economy via increasing participation numbers and attracting tourists to the areas for the events. Running has been a transformational force not only in your life but in many others in our community - can you share how the #RunHappy movement inspired your contribution to Run Fest and to realise its tremendous growth over the last 11 years? Running is hard and mentally challenging. But with anything the more you do it... the easier it gets! I used to run like a terminator but over time I learnt that simply putting one foot in front of the other can provide benefits in so many ways. I often say “If you can’t run with a smile on your face you are running too fast.” Through participation I came to learn that running has a much bigger impact on people’s lives than just the time and distance run. Yes, there are times for pushing yourself
to the limit but there are times that you just need to slow down, stop, take in the views and enjoy the experience. #RunHappy is promoted widely by event sponsor Brooks Running and we have thoroughly embraced this magical combination of words for Run Fest - Prepare, #RunHappy and to explore Port Macquarie. We’ve seen tremendous growth to now have close to 3,000 participants at Run Fest Port Macquarie. We work hard to create a great experience and race weekend for participants of all ability levels. This positive vibe has led to growth year on year. Why do you believe that Run Fest has captured the hearts and minds of runners at all levels and abilities? Run Fest is accessible for all and family friendly. Runners can choose to take on a new challenge, chase that elusive PB or simply #RunHappy along with a friend or family member. Run Fest Port Macquarie is now a major regional event and unofficially kicks off the NSW fun calendar with participants making the annual trip from out of town to run along our stunning foreshore area. The event is organised by runners for runners, and we make changes every year to improve
