Frequently Asked Questions
 

Why the New York Marathon?
 

Despite the perception of many people, the Indigenous Marathon Project (IMP), a key program of the Indigenous Marathon Foundation (IMF) - a not for profit charity organisation, is not a sporting program. IMP uses running as a vehicle to change the lives of Indigenous Australians. We teach our runners the importance of being healthy and leading physically active lives in order to address chronic disease prevalent among Indigenous people such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and renal failure.

The New York City Marathon is the world's largest marathon and one of the toughest. We make it hard, we push them to their limits and we make them realise they exhibit some of the strongest human qualities.

Why target Indigenous people?

There is no doubt that there is a significant gap in the health standards of Indigenous people in Australia compared to non-Indigenous people. Statistics released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2010 paint a pretty poor picture, with Indigenous people 30 times more likely to die from diabetes, 12 times more likely to be hospitalised for dialysis and 4.5 times more likely to die from mental health related illnesses than non-Indigenous people. On top of that, Indigenous men are expected to live 11.5 years less than their non-Indigenous counterparts and women 10 years less. It is vital that we do our bit to help close this gap and to ensure that Indigenous people have every opportunity to improve the health of their family, their friends and their community members. 

Where does the money I raise go?

All money raised through the IMF Footprints campaign goes directly towards our leadership scholarship program to assist past and present IMP runners involved with the Project to further their education, help them to attend running camps and events, and to develop local walking and running groups and events. This will in turn enable our athletes to educate and empower other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to live an active, healthy lifestyle, and decrease instances of preventable disease. Alternatively, if you wish to sponsor a specific athlete, please contact our office to find out how.

What is the IMF 42 Club?

The IMF 42 Club is an exciting fundraising initiative set up to secure crucial, ongoing long-term support for IMF. Without the extremely generous support of every single one of our fundraisers to date, we simply wouldn’t be able to continue to foster Indigenous excellence the way we have. While we put our runners through 42 gruelling kilometres in order to become marathoners, we are asking you to make a donation of $42. Joining the IMF 42 Club involves making a regular donation to IMF of $42. You can elect to make this donation weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually. Every little bit helps.

Where will my money go?

While we receive extremely generous Government funding, this only scratches the surface. It costs roughly IMP $15,000 to put a runner through the program, and that only takes them as far as the finish line in New York. A favourite saying of ours here at IMF is that life begins when you cross the finish line of a marathon, yet unfortunately we have no funding to support our athletes once they graduate from the IMP program. Your donation will provide critical funds to help us support our IMP Graduates reach their future goals not only in their running pursuits, but in ensuring that they can continue to develop and continue to make a difference in their communities and across the country.

What do I receive when I join the 42 Club?

As a member of the IMF 42 Club, you will receive regular up-dates on the Project and will be given the chance to meet, and go for a run, with Rob and our runners as they take part in different camps and running events across the country.

What other ways can I support IMF?

There are a number of ways that you can help support IMF going forward – it doesn’t have to be financial. As we are a non-profit organisation, we are always on the lookout for people to help us along the way. If you think you have a service that can help our runners, please give us a call to have a chat with one of our staff members.

Do I have to run a marathon to raise money for IMF?

No, you can do any event you like. It can be a local fun run or walk, or even a swimming event or personal challenge such as weight-loss. You don't even have to compete in an event to raise money for IMF. If you wish to make a one off donation, click here.

What are other ways I can support IMF?

There are a number of ways to support the Indigenous Marathon Foundation – it doesn’t have to be financial. As we are a non-profit organisation, we are always on the look-out for people to help us along the way. For example, many of our runners require the use of gyms, and physios to keep their bodies in shape. if you think you have a service that can help our runners, give us a call to have a chat about ways that you can help.

If you have any further questions about the IMF 42 Club, or IMF in general, please email: info@imf.org.au or call our office on (02) 6162 4750.