Meet the R4R Runners #41

Scotty

Welcome to the 41st edition of the ‘Meet the R4R Runners’, where this week we get to meet the man responsible for some of the best Dock sunrise pictures you’ll ever see. Scotty is part of the furniture on our Friday runs, as is his trusty companion, Narlah.

Apart from being a skilled photographer and a good runner, Scotty is a cracking bloke and one of the reasons those Friday runs are such a good small community vibe.. despite the growing numbers!

So without further ado, let’s meet Scotty!

What is your name?

Scotty Imhoff

Where are you from?

Canberran born and bred ☺

What's your favourite thing about Canberra? (apart from R4R obviously)

The people I’ve made connections with. The running community (especially R4R). The surroundings. I am biased as I’ve lived here all my life, but if you are into the outdoors and being active, this is the perfect city. Just check out my Insta feed. We got great places to run, either around our various lakes, or if you prefer trail, plenty to choose from in our near-by hills and mountains. Canberra is also very close to the Snowy Mountains (2hrs) or the beach (South Coast 2hrs) or even Sydney (3hrs). Also hardly any traffic (well compared to other big cities), so it’s easy to get around.

How did you hear about R4R and when did you first attend?

Most may know that I’m very active in the running community here in Canberra, and also on Social Media (with all my photos haha), but I kept seeing on social posts about this ‘Running For Resilience’ group. So my good friends Ania and Tyson got me to come to my first R4R in December last year (22/12/2021).  I can recall it was a bloody hot Wednesday evening. Now I’m a regular (with Narlah) at the Monday and Friday morning R4R runs.

What's your favourite thing about R4R?

The people. The chats. The coffee. The dogs. The sunrises. The welcoming and inclusive feel. You can be a super-fast runner or a slow back-of-the-pack runner/walker, it doesn’t matter who you are, where you came from, what you do, what challenges you are facing (or have faced) you are always so welcome at R4R. It’s a great place to catch up with friends, or make new connections. Have a chat. Not be judged. Best thing I’ve done in the last 12 months is becoming a regular at the Monday and Friday morning R4R runs. They are the favourite mornings of my week (Narlah also loves it).

Is there anything you'd like to see R4R do? 

I think keep doing what it’s doing. R4R is getting bigger cause the word is getting out how awesome this group is (look how big the Wednesday run is now). Having group activities like attending events like the recent City2Surf as a group is a great idea. Maybe some fun runs like themed runs (i.e. come as your favour sports hero etc) or have mini competitions like best photos taken at R4R (I can be a judge haha).

Have you ever run a marathon before? If so, how'd you go? 

Yes, I’ve raced 4 marathons (raced plenty of half marathons – 50 to be exact): Canberra in 2003; Melbourne in 2014; Wangaratta in 2015; and Melbourne again in 2016. I was aiming to run close to 2:40 – went out sub 80mins at half way, but the wheels fell off just after 25km. I still ended up with a 2sec marathon PB (2:49:54). I do have some unfinished business with the marathon, so may do another one next year …

Are you planning on taking part in any races or events soon?

I’m a regular runner and quite prominent in the Canberra running community so after a few years of just doing my own thing, I’m back doing some races. Events I’ve locked in for the next 6 months include Sri Chinmoy 100 relay in September (lucky leg 1), Melbourne Half Marathon in October (hoping to get back to sub 80min), Stromlo Running Festival 30 in November, Kosciusko 50km in December (my first ultra-marathon trail race), and then travelling to NZ in February next year for the Tarawera 50km (was meant to be this year but COVID had other plans closing the borders).

Which three people (alive or dead) would you like to run 6km with?

Eluid Kipchoge – he is the greatest runner of all time. I don’t think people understand or fathom the speed he has done for the marathon. Try and run a 2:53 km, then picture doing that for 42.2km. His documentary ‘The Last Milestone’ is so inspiring on his build up to his sub-2hr marathon event. The way he approaches life (very simplistic) and his running is very humbling. I could spend hours talking to him (and I’m not much of a talker) and hearing his philosophy on running and life.

Hallie Gebreselassie – aka the Little Emperor. Like Kipchoge, he was the king of distance running. Watching him run a 56secs 400m last lap to win the 10,000m at the Sydney Olympic Games (one of the best track races ever) was amazing. He never gave up. Little known fact: I raced with Gebreselassie at the Great Australian Run in Melbourne (2009). I actually did some pre-race sprints with him before the start.

Nelson Mandela – what this man endured, and what he accomplished in South Africa personifies ‘resilience’. The stories that he could tell, advice he could give, it would be a very memorable experience.

What does resilience mean to you?

Being strong. Being able to bounce back after being knocked down. Keep toughing it out when things get tough. Never give up.

When you look back on the hardest moment/s in your life, is there anything you wish you could have told yourself? 

“Everything is going to be ok” … and tell myself to speak up if I’m struggling, don’t keep things bottled up.

One of the hardest moments in my life was the breakdown of my marriage 10 years ago, as it was unexpected and a shock. The first few months were very tough. However, everything ended up being ok as the months went on. Luckily my marriage breakdown ended up being quite amicable (compared to some of the horror stories some of my friends have been through).  

Unreal, Scotty! Thank you.

Just. Keep. Moving.