David Allen is Wesley Mission’s Executive Manager–Community and Family Care. He’s also a weekend athlete–and one of our heroes for homelessness.
On 14 September David will test his limits in an epic endurance challenge, the Sri Chinmoy Canberra Trail 100. He’ll run 100 km through the beautiful hills, nature parks and open spaces of central, south and north Canberra, hoping to raise $3,000 for our homelessness services.
If you want to cheer him on, you can visit David’s fundraising page and share the link with your connections on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn. You might even like to support his challenge with a donation.
David decided to fundraise for the cause after seeing many lives changed in his 14 years at Wesley Mission, working on our teams that provide accommodation and services for people experiencing homelessness or on the brink of it.
Every year he runs the City2Surf on Team Wesley Mission, joined by his family including his two sons Mason and Logan.
The Sri Chinmoy Canberra Trail 100 will be David’s second 100km ultramarathon. He conquered his first earlier this year.
“I like being able to run and just keep running, and there’s a sense of achievement in going the distance,” David says. “The first time was about could I do it? This time it’s ‘can I do it again?’ ”
“I can be getting up to train at three or four o’clock in the morning and running 20 or 30 kilometres before work.”
“If I have a challenge to aim for it helps me focus myself. It’s about having a strong ‘why’. Why get up early and run in the dark? If I don’t have a ‘why’, then I struggle.”
David says that on the day of the event in Canberra, he’ll be spurred on by thinking of the people Wesley Mission helps.
“Our staff help homeless people in a way that is caring and meaningful, they treat them as a person and not just a number,” he says. “And to someone experiencing homelessness, a dignified interaction is everything.”
“It inspires me on the day–it inspires me to run.”
Thank you David for your dedication and generosity. We’re all behind you!