John Hughes

(Ideas Man and Race Director)

John is living testament to the phrase ‘Movement is Medicine’. After experiencing various mental health challenges associated with, but not limited to, difficulties starting his now incredible young family, John decided that instead of the medication he was taking, that movement would be a much more sustainable and beneficial route to overall health. With a sporadic at best exercise history, John participated in his first of many regular Parkruns in August 2021. In John’s own words “It damn near killed me! My hips were on fire and my whole body hurt!”. As the Parkruns got easier, John’s exercise goals developed, eventually signing up for the inaugural Hobart Marathon in September 2022. John is now an active member of Toowoomba Roadrunners, has completed 3 marathons, has a 530+ day run streak, and is working towards exploring the outer reaches of his capacity in the Backyard Ultra format at Dead Cow Gully in May 2024. A complete novice at organising events, with so much to learn, John is looking forward to working with our incredible committee building Garden City Backyard Ultra into a successful event, to be held annually from 2024 onwards.