Andy and Chris take on the Melbourne Half Marathon

On Sunday, while some of us were enjoying a well-earned Sunday morning sleep in, which we wouldn’t sacrifice for the world, others were getting active. A couple of our Esendex team members took part in the Melbourne Flight Centre Half Marathon.

Chris, our General Manager, and Andy, our Marketing Manager joined over 30,000 others for the run. The event kicked off at 7am, and Andy and Chris set off to run 21 kilometers, hoping it wouldn’t kill them.

The weather was a beautiful 27 degrees at the peak of the day, making conditions great to be out in the open.

Our guys achieved fantastic results, with Chris finishing off the run in 2 hours 29 minutes and 55 seconds and Andy finishing in just under two hours. So, even though it was an early start, it was also a pretty early finish for them in our opinion. 

“I’m more of a cyclist, but after Chris decided he wanted to do a half marathon, I thought I’d join him – a bit of camaraderie. It was bloody hard, and I’m in a fair bit of pain today. But, having just scraped in with a time under two hours, 1h59m48s to be precise, I’m pretty chuffed!” Andy said.

Their runs into work and on lunch breaks for the past few months have certainly paid off. Although they came in limping on Monday, they both achieved their goals.

“I’m not really much of a runner either, but I do enjoy challenging myself in different ways that sit outside of my comfort zone and I saw the half marathon as another opportunity to do so. I think completing these sorts of events is good for the soul,” Chris said.

The Melbourne Marathon Festival is not just a community social event promoting fitness, it’s also a major fundraising event. This year, marathon runners raised over $750,000 for a number of causes. Some of these included the Cerebral Palsy Education Centre, the Cathy Freeman Foundation and the Australian Red Cross, among others.

Next year, Andy and Chris are planning to take on the full 42 km Melbourne Marathon. We’re looking forward to supporting their efforts, and also seeing them limp into the office again.  Well done guys!