Prior to joining the Melbourne Bootcamp programs that are run by juggernautPT , l had not exercised for the past 8 years. However throughout my high school and university days, 70% of my time was heavily consumed by sports. But as work and relationships became more demanding, time for sports and exercise became more limited.

2 years ago I was invited to tour parts of China with a local basketball team, playing games against selected schools. During this tour I realized how deteriorated my fitness was - things were not the same as they once were. My reflexes were slow, stamina was short, performance was inconsistent and my Jersey was tight (especially round the gut).

That’s when I realized something had to give; I had to start shaping up. I started googling for exercise groups, and that’s when I came across Melbourne's  juggernautPT

 

I emailed them before my motivation began to lessen. Life was getting busy again, excuses started coming.

I received an email notifying me that jPT was operating in South Yarra. I then emailed Gary whom advised his next session was starting Monday. I was excited - things moved so quick l had no chance to think about what I was getting myself into.

The Journey

I remember the first day Gary introduced me to the group of about 15 recruits and he said that this was a great group and they would make me feel welcome, he was right. During that session we did a lot of squats, sprints, lunges and grunts. Everyone was encouraging; as much as l hated the pain that these reps inflicted on my legs, quads and gluts, I actually enjoyed the pump that I had not felt for a good part of my working life. I remember being at work that first day not sure whether to sit or stand as either position caused great pain.

From that day onwards I started attending 3 sessions a week. It wasn’t long before I started noticing my fitness improving. With this new found energy I along with my fellow recruits encouraged by Gary committed ourselves to running Melbourne's 15k Run for the Kids. This was to be my first officially timed event. To commit to such a distance was insane, I had never run this sort of distance, so I set out to train as hard as I could to ensure I finished the event on my feet.

"To commit to such a distance (15Km) was insane

This was the beginning of what is now a turning point in my running life. After the race I felt inspired and motivated to seek out new events. My next focus was to run a half marathon. To compete in this sort of distance I knew I needed training, so along with 2 other recruits I started running around the Tan twice a week covering on average a distance of 12k to 19k before work. The thrill of being able to cover such distances at a clip was so powerful.

Along with the thrill and excitement, I knew I had to give up my cigarette intake, which was causing erratic performance peaks. I tried to manage the two – running and smoking but eventually one had to go. Which one did I give up?

My latest achievement shared by Gary was completing the Samsung Marathon. The support I received was amazing, the thrill of finishing the race was probably the best high I’ve experienced. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would run the distance, let alone complete this awesome event.

The Future

With this major achievement accomplished my plan for the future is to continue training with Gary to further develop my fitness and running ability. Hopefully one day I’ll be ready to part take in an ultra marathon (100k) which will be the ultimate challenge.

My advice to anyone looking at either getting fit or running marathons is to ensure you are training in a comfortable environment that provides you with the right support. Gary has certainly helped developed my fitness and he can certainly do the same for you.

The road to a healthy lifestyle starts here!

Click here to visit Pete's website and track his progress.

09 Update

Since completing the Melbourne Marathon, Pete has indeed continued to train with juggernautPT & continued to evolve as an endurance athlete along the way notching up solid runs in running events including;

• Melbourne Oxfam 100km Trailwalker
• The Great Ocean Road Half Marathon
• Run Melbourne
• Adelaide Marathon
• Sandy Point Half Marathon
• The Great Australian Run

Pete's 1on1 training program was designed to enhance his Body Awareness, Resilience (Mental & Physiological), Endurance & Recovery, in Pete's own words; "Hey Gary thanks for the workouts, since l started training under your guidance every run seems to be better than than the last, it's gotta be the specific program you've got me doing. Great work buddy! much appreciated."

He submitted the following testimonial as a summary; "For the last 12 months, l have been training under the guidance and mentoring of Gary Wagner & the team at juggernautPT . They have helped me prepare for my campaign to run 3 marathons in 3 months on 3 different continents.  Running on average 40 to 80 kilometres a week my body in particular my hips, knees and ankles are exposed to extreme duress. Around 3 months ago I was
beginning to feel the strain that my regime had placed to these areas resulting in physical setbacks. Continually there were periods l could not run without experiencing discomfort, especially around the knee area. This hindered my race
time and prolonged my recovery process. After consulting Gary he introduced me to joint mobility training to add to my exercise programs.  Repeating this daily l had noticed my previous troubled areas is no longer an issue, now l am able to run faster, harder and longer without repercussion.
Now when my friends complain about lack of performance, flexibility and/or sore & stiff bodies l recommend juggernautPT & their training programs! "

In late March 2009, Pete trained his last session with jPT before departing for Paris the first leg of a 3 month adventure that will see him complete 3 iconic Marathons in 3 very different countries. He spent a week enjoying the sights, sounds & people of France whilst making his final preparations for his first International Marathon.

CITY OF LIGHTS - THE PARIS MARATHON APRIL 09

Here's his wrap up;

"After consuming gallons of water and 3 oranges l finished in 3.40hrs minutes..woohoo! Highly recommend this run, it's probably the only marathon that provides vino at the later part of the run, made that mistake when l thought it was cream n soda...

The finish was a dream was a dream finish. Calves were a little tight in the last 5km's and having to dodge 35,000 people through narrow paths probably could have run sub 3.40hr but that's besides the point... Atm legs are a bit stiff, but managing very well, as expected with all the training back home.

Had an early night after the run, feeling well rested, legs are good, the previous knee problem doesn't seem to exist which is a big plus.
I will be going for a very slow jog and stretch later today. Nevertheless pretty happy with recovery. l didn't run with the head cam, but l did use my mobile whenever l could remember.. check out the pics

I've got 2 more days in paris than l'll be off to Italy for horse riding, so will try and recover fully for that.

Look out China here l come!"

I was over the moon to hear this update particularly after I had been home barely a week from the successful completion of Pre-Production of our documentary Kokoda: Women on the March, following is a transcript of our email conversation that followed;

Gary

"Hey Pete,

Thanks for the update sounds like you had a great run, you'll have to watch those drink stations in the China & South Africa who knows what you might get! :)

Take in some regular 20 minutes sessions of going through your mobility drills & stretches to free things up (in addition to your pre/post run warmups/downs)

very jealous of your adventure & very happy you're having such a great time.

Look forward to the next update!


Kind Regards,

Gary Wagner
Owner & Lead Instructor

Juggernaut PT"

PETE

"Cheers mate.. that run was for you buddy, thanks for the words of wisdom and guidance from yourself & the juggernautPT team when l was tinkering with defeat back home. I'm
sure you remember those moments.. Damn l had to give up the music and watch to regain focus..haha!

I fly out of Paris tomorrow, not sure what the internet situation will be... So till then cheerio!"

It has been fantastic preparing Pete for the  See The World by Foot campaign, which has also created an opportunity to raise funds & awareness for educational disadvantage children in lesser developed countries.

The event kicked off in April 2009 in the City of Lights - Paris, France. Followed by the historical Great Wall of China. The third and final marathon concludes on a trail that lead all competitors through lion territory in the African Serengeti.

 

May Update - Great Wall Marathon...Done!

Pete has completed the Great Wall Marathon in 5 hours, a fantastic effort for an event he described as the 'Worlds Toughest Marathon' heres a quick summary from the man himself;

"I survived it!!! what an experience..there's no better way to see the Great Wall but to run up, down and then up again... Thanks for the support! Next stop South African Marathon 20th June."

Look forward to it Pete, Run Unstoppable!

 

The Parisian Way

A 12 month campaign that was born on the other side of the world in Melbourne, Australia comes down to the horn that screams through a wave of 35,000 runners on the streets of Paris. The first of 3 international marathons was underway.  The conditions were perfect, the crowd was amped, the heart was racing and beautiful Paris was glowing.

What a dream come true, there was no better way to see Paris than by foot.  The feeling of participation was gut wrenching the race started on the famous shopping strip, Champs Elysee.
I started the race well feeling relaxed and confident l was going to milk the excitement out of this.  
All of a sudden at the 12km mark the race came to a halt, 4 lanes was now about to merge into 2 lanes around a roundabout.  For 5 minutes we slowly etched our way forward before the pace picked up again.
At 20km point the local fire brigade was out, forming a barrier with their overhead ladder, spraying water as we run under it.  My form at this stage was good, stride was long, posture was good and my breathing rhythm was good.  The only problem was finding space to past other runners was hard to come by.
The event was so colourful at every 5 kms we were entertained with live music, dancers and loads of supporters cheering as we ran pass. The 30km mark was special the French really know how to celebrate. They had lines of tables filled with oranges, apples, bananas and their famous red vino. There were also seats where runners could get a quick massage.

The final 10 km led us pass the iconic figure ‘Eiffel Tower’. With only a few kilometres to go, feeling thirsty, l reached out to grab a cup of what looked like crème ’n’ soda, as quick as l gulped it, it came straight back out. What l had thought was  a sports drink was in fact brandy or port.  Definitely not the thirst quencher l was craving for.

Finally the finish line was in sight, the race was over and the muscle cramping had begun to set in.  All that was left was the slow, gingerly hobble down Champs Elysee to my hotel.  My dream to run in Paris was complete, as happy as l was to complete the run, l was honestly disappointed that the run was over.


Hitting the Great Wall

Arriving in China and meeting a small group at the airport was an awakening that this great wall marathon was real.  We headed to our hotel where we were greeted by our tour guide named George, he was responsible for our stay in China.

Knowing the marathon was only a week away, l had to find a new training ground.  This time, it was a historical area filled with some much history, good and bad.  I was going to use the outer area of the Tien Namen square as my running route.

The night before the race, everyone was pumped.  We had all seen the course on our site inspection day. So everyone knew what was to come and all we could do was focus on having fun and soaking in the wide eyed view from the wall.  About 8pm everyone started making their way to bed, you could sense that something special awaited us the next day.  The next morning everyone woke up at 3am and made our way onto the bus, destined for to The Great Wall.

When we arrived everyone had their bibs pinned and ready to run.  The first part of the run had a slight ascending hill that lasted for 5km.  It was quite a taxing hill, we than finally arrived at the wall.  At the Wall it was a scramble to get in front of the slower pack.  The stairs looked amazing from far, but close up they looked painful and there was 3700 steps that we had to deal with. When running down you had to literally hold on to the railing just in case you lost a footing.

By the 22km mark l had already begun to feel the strain, by 25km l was BONKED!. The course was tough, I felt good on the flat but found it tough on the hills.  My advice to anyone thinking about running the Great Wall is to find a steep hill and run it until it hurts than run some more.

Having gone back up the Wall for the final time, we were now on the road home with less than 10km from the finish.  On the way up l found it extremely tiresome, the energy levels were depleted, my body was screaming for food.  At one point on top of the stairs l puckered down and soaked in the amazing views from above.

There was not a better moment in my life than sitting on the steps of the Great Wall of China, feeling bonked from doing something l love, RUNNING!

Crossing the finish line was simply another milestone in my amazing world of running.
There is definitely no better way to see The Great Wall than to run on it…


The African Dance

Having complete 2 marathons on 2 spectacular locations, South Africa was set to provide a stunning end to a marathon vacation.

Arriving at Entibeni a private game reserve, l was greeted by the local people.  I was most impressed with our living conditions we were literally tenting out in the wild.

Outside our tent was evidence of  how close the animals pass.  Each night and morning we had to be escorted by rangers to our tents, for own safety.
If being out under the African stars was not realistic enough, watching a Lion feeding on a Zebra definitely did the job. This was real and about to embark on a marathon unlike any in the world.

On race day the atmosphere was electrifying, everyone was focused, determined not to be beaten by the tough course and gunning to make it back to the finish line before the 6 hr cut off time.  At the starting line there were a grand total of 55 runners, it was there l met Linda another Aussie runner from Port Melbourne , she was working in Japan as a teacher. As the gun fired off signalling the start to my last marathon, l quickly remembered the pain l felt during my last run, my tactic quickly changed.  I was going to take it slow and easy, where possible l was going to soak in the South African atmosphere.

I took the first half quite easily running alongside Linda.  It wasn’t until the 21km mark when l started to let loose and managed to work my way up the ranks, catching up to the lead runners. Everything was going well until l hit the hill. This hill was 400m long and very steep, so steep it was impossible to run up.  Half way up the hill, both my calves began cramping,  at the top l managed to get some deep heat rubbed into the affected area it helped for a little bit, but certainly did not disappear.  At the 36km drink station l mentioned my problem to the local support guy.  He grabbed a handful of ice and started to rub it along my both my calves.  It cooled down the legs and freed up the calves but more importantly his support re-inspired me.  I ran the last 8km with much better form and a euphoric high, crossing the finish line in 15th place out of 55 runners.

To think 12 months of training and preparation all came down to this.  I didn’t want this to end it was a highlight of my life.  The reality is this would not happen if l had not had the courage to follow and work towards my dreams. My advice to anyone and everyone is to follow your dreams.  No matter how big or small those dreams may be, the experience you gain is priceless and can substituted by anything less than the satisfaction of knowing you gave it your absolute all.

I must also take this opportunity for a heartfelt thank you to Gary & his team at juggernautPT & all others who supported me on this journey with friendship, training, nutrition, and words of wisdom.

Before going away people were telling me it is a once in a lifetime adventure. I didn’t want to believe them, because l wanted travel to be a part of my life.  Only when running these 3 amazing races did l realise that what they were actually telling me.
Life truly is a once in a lifetime experience because you will never relive the feeling you feel at that particular moment again.

Now back home in Melbourne , I couldn’t contain my  continued excitement and began preparing for my 2010 campaign alongside juggernautPT in 2010 that has  these objectives.
To not only complete the Race The Planets challenge but to go beyond and Race the Invitation only event which in 2010 will be held in Australia.

Each leg of the Race is on foot covering 250 km over 6 days and will be held in some of the harshest conditions in the world including the;

Gobi in China the worlds largest Cold-Winter Desert
The driest place on earth the  Atacama Desert in Chile
The infamously forbidding Sahara Desert in Egypt
And the worlds largest Polar Desert…. The Antartica

As well as the  ‘bonus’ race for 2010 which will be held on our own Australian Soil.

I am undertaking this mammoth task to passionately raise awareness of the continued struggles of my family’s home & our Australian neighbours the East Timorese (as highlighted in the recent Australian Film Balibo) but to raise funds  to build much needed infrastructure  that has been severely compromised since the early 70’s. Expect to see much more on this project on the juggernautPT website & beyond as this exciting project gathers steam

September 2009

 

Okay folks, as you know I like to see people in general excel, strive and live life as an unstoppable adventure, it is truly amazing what extraordinary feats you as an 'ordinary' person can achieve. It makes me especially proud though when it is a member of our juggernautPT  tribe that has started from scratch overcome their own adversity and chased and worked towards their dream their passion with unstoppable fervour.

 

If you have read through our ever expanding testimonials and before & after pages (which I highly suggest you do for some quick and real inspiration), you may very well have come across Pete our very own Marathon Man (if you haven't already take a worthwhile detour from this page and read Pete's journey so far here).

Our campaign in 2010, is to raise money to help improve the quality of teachings in East Timor (Timor Leste)

Pete chose this particular charity because it's fundraising efforts support something very personal to him.

Thank you for in advance for supporting this very worthy cause anyway you can & remember to chase your own adventures - Be Unstoppable Gary Wagner

Over to you Pete;

 

"In 1975 my parents were forced to flee their country- East Timor while the country was being invaded. This is around the same time the 5 Australian Journalists were killed in Balibo. Now 34 years later with East Timor having only just reclaimed its independence in 2002. The country is undergoing a delicate process of rebuilding itself. The education sector has been severely disadvantaged with only 30% of teachers, teaching in Ermera qualified to teach.

To support my charity campaign goal of $30 000, l will be participating in the biggest challenge of my life - To be the first person in Racing the Planets history to complete all 5 Deserts in a single year. Each run is 250km and will be covered solo in 5-7 days, over some of the harshest terrain on the planet including
•    The Gobi in China
•    The Kimberley Desert in Australia
•    The Atacama in Chile
•    The Sahara in Egypt
•    Antarctica

 

To give you  a frame of reference events such as the Melbourne Marathon are just over 42km in length imagine running a full marathon plus another 8kilometres every day for 5 days, then repeating the task in a hugely different environment 4 more time in the course of 1 year. (Or you can think of running Melbourne's famous Tan Track (a solid 3.8km) 66 times!)

 

The aim of my campaign is to raise the funds necessary ($30 000) to support Education & Training Scholarships in Timor Leste

The provision of Education and Training Scholarships for young people in Timor Leste will address the desperate shortage of skilled workers and qualified teachers. All scholarship recipients who successfully qualify as primary teachers or acquire an accredited trade qualification will be able to gain ongoing employment. Here are some vital facts and FAQ's;

Vocational Scholarships
In Timor Leste there is a serious shortage of people with qualifications in the following areas:
Carpentry, Building, Plumbing, Electrician, Accounting, Information Technology and Agriculture. There is a three year residential course available for each of these areas at an accredited Senior High School. The costs for each student is just $500 AUD each year, so $1500 for each three year course.
This cost covers all course costs, travel to and from home, food and accommodation, books and uniforms. There is an entrance examination for students applying for one of these courses.

Who would be eligible for these Vocational Scholarships?
Young people in the remote areas of the Ermera District – Hatolia, Letefoho and Atsabe who have the interest and are able to pass the entrance examinations. They would need to provide references from local leaders in their village including School Principal, Parish Priest and Village Chief.

Primary Teacher Scholarships
In the Ermera District almost 70% of the teachers in the schools are unqualified. There is a three year Primary Teacher Training course available at the Baucau Teachers College. This institution is accredited through its link with the Catholic University in Melbourne. The cost for each student would be just $1000 AUD each year, so $3000 for a three year course. This cost covers all course costs, travel to and from home, food and accommodation and books. There is an entrance examination for students applying for this course.
Who would be eligible for these Primary Teacher scholarships
Young people in the remote areas of the Ermera District – Hatolia, Letefoho and Atsabe who have the interest in teaching as a career and are able to pass the entrance examination. They would need to provide references from local leaders in their village including School Principal, Parish Priest and Village Chief.

Who would make the selection of the scholarship recipients?
A Scholarship Commission consisting of three people of standing in the Ermera District was set up in 2007. For the last three years the Commission has been allocating scholarships to encourage girls from needy families to stay at high school.  The three members of the Scholarship Commission are highly regarded in the Ermera District and they do know the needs of the many communities. They receive no payment for their time.

Who would monitor the scholarship recipients during their study and assist them with their employment during the course and once they qualify?
The Scholarship Commission will have a role to monitor the progress of the scholarship recipients.
They will meet with them during semester breaks, and have access to progress reports.
Towards the end of the three year course the Scholarship Commission members will support the scholarship holders to –
identify the career opportunities available to them,
identify resources they might need for future employment eg tool kits for carpenters
acquire an ongoing position

So now you know what I'm trying to do I hope you can help support me any way you can donations go directly to "Friends of Emera" and are processed securely through PayPal, just click on the button below

 

 

Another way you can assist this campaign is to help me gain corporate sponsorship, One company I am seeking sponsorship from is Nokia

I have started using an online application called Sports-Tracker developed by Nokia, this application provides my Coach/Personal Trainer Gary Wagner of juggernautPT the data required to assess my training runs.

Nokia Sports Tracker is a GPS-based activity tracker allows my coach Gary Wagner from juggernautPT the ability to monitor my training from anywhere in the world. It gives him immediate feedback on my performance such as speed, distance and time. All this data is automatically stored in a training diary, allowing him to review my previous day’s workout.

MY AIM: is to get as many friends as l can to join Nokia Sports Tracker which only takes a minute then add me as their buddy via this application.

So whether you run or don’t run…..please support me by either going to http://sportstracker.nokia.com/nts/main/index.do and sign up (it’s free!) or make a tax deductible donation and support my campaign and the future of Timor Leste.

Thank you for your time, support & friendship to the People of East Timor

Kind Regards,

Peter Jong

http://www.o2running.com/"