Meet the R4R Runners #49

Milkbar Nick

Welcome to the 49th edition of the Meet the R4R Runners, where this week we get to meet another Writer for Resilience. I remember meeting Nick on a Friday morning R4R and hearing about some key moments in his life (you’ll read later) in that first conversation.

It’s one of the great things that can come from R4R, where as Murray puts it, we don’t just get those concise soundbites, and we get an opportunity to listen and learn from each other… and Nick is a good man to learn from! So, without further ado, let’s meet him!

What is your name? 

Nick Karpetis

Where are you from?

Canberra born and bred

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

I’ve always enjoyed how nothing is too hard here. We’ve got a big family and it’s great to be able to take the kids to sports, go to farmers markets, run in the bush and be home for dinner. What other big city really offers that!? 

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

I think my first one was around May this year. I think I saw it on social media? I loved what it stood for plus I kinda knew Benny A through some colleagues at work so I just thought I’d throw myself into it and went by myself. Best decision I’ve made this year! 

What's your favourite thing about R4R? 

I’ve met a whole bunch of people through R4R, it’s been great! It’s been hard to connect with people over the last few years and I’ve really  enjoyed just turning up and being able to chat with complete strangers (strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet, right!?). Everyone is super encouraging, such an amazingly positive group and it just makes me happy to see all these wonderful people connecting. 

We're coming up on our 3rd birthday soon, do you have any ideas on what we should do before we turn 4?

I’d love to see a chilled event, maybe a picnic where peeps can bring their friends, fam, dogs and get to hang out in the sunshine on a Sunday arvo or something

What's the longest you've ever run? 

22.5km just the other week! 

Are you planning on taking part in any races or events soon or are there any just gone?

I’m planning on doing the Kosciusko 27 Ultra Trail event in December and I can’t bloody wait. I just ran the Canberra Times Fun Run Half Marathon, which was my second half marathon ever and came in under 2 hours which was such a shock, I still can’t believe that I’m capable of that time! 

A few weeks before that I ran the Run with the Wind half marathon (my first half marathon), which ended up being 22.5km… which is the furthest I’d ever run. Despite it going over it’s advertised distance, I had such a great time!

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

My Dad - Sadly he’s no longer here but I would love to be able to spend 6km walking and talking with him, telling him all the stories of how his grandkids are growing up. 

Fred Again - It’s been a while since I was a DJ but Fred Again is making music that is inspiring me to take it up again. On top of that he seems like a genuinely nice person and I’d love to chat with him over a slow trot

David Goggins - Purely for the motivation. I’d love to know how hard I could go with someone like Goggins in your corner! 

What does resilience mean to you?

For me it’s about growth. When something happens, there is always something to be gained which can make you a stronger person. It’s also about knowing how to acknowledge your feelings, being OK to feel all the things, being able to share with others and then realising that you’re not alone, everyone goes through shiz and sharing your struggles helps you to effectively power up collectively.

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

The hardest time was around when my Dad passed away suddenly. My mum was diagnosed with Alzheimers, we had just had twins, doubling the number of kids (4 kids, 4 and under!) and the dishwasher broke down. I think the best thing I wish I could have told myself was to let myself feel the feelings. Being such a crazy time, I didn’t feel as though I had the time to grieve and process all the happenings, I just kept it bottled up. I wish I would have spoken to someone about what was going on, I just became apathetic and a shell of myself and really lost myself. 

Mate, a cracking read. Thank you for sharing!