Hayley Pymont is using the hundreds of kilometres she is clocking up on the New South Wales South Coast in preparation for the New York Marathon to build a new purpose for herself and help improve the mental health of others.
The 27-year-old Wiradjuri woman, who grew up on Dharawal land is one of the young people selected for the Indigenous Marathon Project (IMP) for 2022, which was founded by Australian champion runner Robert de Castella.
"I applied, not really knowing what was actually coming," Pymont said.
"I wanted to find my purpose because I was going down a bit of a black hole and getting a bit stuck again."
She is now running between 12 and 18 kilometres a day, averaging about 70km a week, across the roads, parks, and beaches of Shellharbour, hoping to get a spot in the 42km event on November 6 through the five boroughs of New York.
"I always said I wanted to do a marathon; I never thought I would be here," she said.
"Honestly, it is pretty crazy still and so surreal."
The program also asks participants to undertake further education and complete a Certificate IV in Indigenous Leadership and Health Promotion.
A focus on mental health
Pymont is putting her energy into building mental health resilience.
"I struggled at school with bullying growing up," she said.
"And unfortunately, sometimes, it is not a nice thing, but sometimes being in that situation of being bullied you put a mechanism in place and become the bullier."
Pymont said it was an incredibly difficult time where she felt "shut down" and didn't have support.
"I have been suicidal myself, which hasn't been easy for my friends and family.
"I have lost someone to suicide as well, so that really plays with you quite a lot. It is a massive ripple effect."
Support needed for bullies too
Through the program, Pymont is reaching out to community organisations to urge them to provide more support to young people.
"We need organisations out there and services to open their doors for everyone and to let people in regardless of how severe their mental health is," she said.
The marathon runner has also created wallet-sized cards with the details of local support services that she hands out at community events.
She is also working toward helping schools provide support to those accused of being the bully.
Often, Pymont says, the person doing the bullying has stress in their home life.
"So they are projecting on everyone else and sometimes they get dismissed," she said.
"There needs to be a structure to help everyone involved, not just the victim. Because they are both victims at the end of the day, which a lot of people overlook."
Along the way, Pymont had the support of local Dharawal runners and walkers.
Wiradjuri man and run leader Shane Venables says he is proud of what Pymont is achieving.
"She is a very driven person, she's always been trying to achieve and do the best she can for herself amongst tough circumstances," he said.
The program is also helping to build Pymont's connection to culture.
That connection is something Mr Venables is encouraging.
"I think it gives an opportunity to sit with other like-minded First Nations people and learn from each other and build that strength and ownership of who we are," he said.
"And [build] that belief that we can be leaders. We are the First Nation leaders of this country, and we have a lot to offer."
A 'ripple effect' for positive change
IMP graduate, mentor and run leader Maiquilla Brown has witnessed significant growth in Pymont.
"Just watching her and seeing how invested she is in getting other people involved in running, or even just focusing on their mental health, is great," Ms Brown said.
"Sharing it throughout the community, we call it the ripple effects of running, and you never know who you're going to touch or who's going to see your journey and be inspired by it."
While New York is still a couple of months away, Pymont says she is already feeling the rewards.
"It is more about the inner feeling and how I am feeling as a person and growing and making changes for myself," she said.
