Gill Noelker, Rod Cairns, Kim Boland, Leah Taaffe, Mark Watson, Amelia Dean and Sarah Crossman in 2021. Photo: File
Run Echuca Moama early bird registration is open until midnight, Tuesday, June 11, for its first event with its new name.
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Formerly Johnno’s Run, the event remains the same as previous years, simply with an updated name and fresh logo.
The event will be held on Sunday, August 4, welcoming participants from across the region to run, walk, or wheel.
Community Living and Respite Services chief executive Leah Taaffe emphasised that the event is the same as previous years, just with a new name.
“It’s the same as it’s been, it’s just got a new name,” she said.
“It’s still there, and it’s still raising funds for the same project.
“We just wanted to go from strength to strength, just strengthen and attract even more people to come in.“
Participants can choose from six runs, including a half-marathon, two fun runs, and junior events for children.
All courses are designed with accessibility in mind, ensuring everyone can enjoy the day.
“We make sure that the routes at every level are accessible,” Ms Taaffe said.
“So if you’re in a chair, or you’re using a mobility aid, you can get through any course.
“And that’s kind of unique because that usually doesn’t happen.”
Last year, around 350 participants raised over $36,000 for the CLRS Opening Doors Project.
This project has built accessible, safe housing for people living with disability for the past 10 years. In this time, they have delivered five projects for 22 local people.
“When you have a disability, and you need particular things to have been considered in the design of your building, that’s incredibly difficult to find,” Ms Taaffe said.
“So, we’ve been really committed to getting houses built that provide that accessible environment for people, which means they can engage in their community as positively and as independently as possible.
“We want people to live as independently as possible, and if you’re in the right environment you can do that.”
Currently, 125 people have registered, and organisers hope more locals realise the event remains unchanged.
The new name has already attracted significant interest from out-of-town participants.
“At the moment, what we’re seeing through the registrations is that 70 per cent of people are tourists,” Ms Taaffe said.
“Previously, it’s probably been 70 per cent locals and 30 per cent tourists.
“The whole point of (the name change) is to bring more people in, but we don’t want to lose our local contingent.”
Run Echuca Moama's logo, designed by the graphic design team from the Riv.
The new Run Echuca Moama logo was designed by the Riverine Herald team, with graphic designers working alongside the event organisers.
“The Riv have been major sponsors of pretty much everything we do,” Ms Taaffe said.
“Their graphic design team worked together and came up with the logo.
“The longer version, which has ‘Run Echuca Moama’, with the (old) bridge, and under the bridge there’s three people; a man, a woman and a person in a chair.”
Run Echuca Moama is seeking 70 volunteers to assist on event day to ensure everything runs smoothly.
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