Welcome to the 34th edition of the ‘Meet the R4R Runners’, where this week we get to meet R4R Royalty! I think it’s safe to say that Running for Resilience would be a shadow of itself if it weren’t for the crew at the Dock, and you can’t say Dock without saying Shooter.
From day dot, Shooter has helped give R4R the most stable of platforms to launch from. By allocating space at the Dock for our growing numbers and providing those hard-earned brews after the run, Shooter has helped create the welcoming and fun environment that R4R is known for.
He also get’s right amongst it! Whether it be the various ‘gold medals’ provided for the R4R gift, putting the pedal to the metal in the lockdown challenge, digging deep on a limited numbers Wednesday where he could sniff a victory (successful), or simply rocking up week in, week out, to help collect jumpers and run the loop.
I’m extremely grateful for Shooters involvement in R4R and I’m proud to call him a mate. So without further ado, let’s meet Shooter!
What is your name?
Glen Michael Collins. Aka Shooter, Nifty, Needle Nose, Nugget Ned, Battered Sav.
Where are you from?
Moruya Heads, South Coast NSW.
What's your favourite thing about Canberra? (apart from R4R obviously)
The people, I have a lot of close friends and family in this town, I like to go off the motto “It’s not places it’s faces” that are important in one’s life.
How did you hear about R4R and when did you first attend?
Benny A hit us up on what I thought about hosting R4R at The Dock for the first time and I thought it was a great idea. Proud to be I pioneer runner on the first R4R :).
What's your favourite thing about R4R?
Faces :). It’s a great way for people to connect to others with a similar mindset. A simple g’day one week can turn into a conversation for the next and a beer by week 3.
Is there anything you'd like to see R4R do?
Last man/woman running event would be great. Do the 5km bridge to bridge loop from 6am-6pm. 30mins to complete a 5km loop and start again on each half hour. Would be brutal but why not lol.
Have you ever run a marathon before? If so, how'd you go?
Only completed a half, I kept it under 4:30min splits which I was happy with.
Are you planning on taking part in any races or events soon?
City to Surf and Last Man/Woman R4R event lol.
Which three people (alive or dead) would you like to run 6km with?
Glen Boss while riding Makybe Diva (2005)
Stallone (Rocky 4 condition)
James Campbell & Ben Alexander (both in their prime).
Canter for the first 3km and race into a gallop for the last 3km. No third dividend paid.
What does resilience mean to you?
The ability to grind away and form healthy habits for the mind and body. To be constantly communicating, educating and challenging yourself to help deal with the adversity that life can throw at you.
I’m a huge advocate on mental health awareness and organisations like Lifeline and R4R are doing a great job in this space. Both with the goal of saving lives and eliminating suicide.
Unreal, mate. Thanks again, Shooter!
Those nicknames! Hahahahaha