Meet fisiocrem sponsored athlete Todd. Commonly known as Parko, he is 48 years old and resides on the stunning Coffs Coast in New South Wales, Australia. Todd has been married for 26 years and is a proud father of four amazing adult children.
Todd’s favourite sport is running, but he also enjoys participating in triathlons, even though he struggles with swimming. In 2013, Todd started running and since then, he has completed 8 marathons, 9 half marathons, a few triathlons, and one Ultra Marathon of 61.2km.
Todd hopes to meet and connect with fellow runners at the Gold Coast Marathon or other races throughout the year. So, if you see him out there, be sure to say hi and share your running stories with him.
Vicky is a fitness enthusiast who discovered the high-intensity interval training workout called HIIT STEP a few years ago at her local gym, The Fit Station. She describes how this workout pushes her to her absolute maximum, getting her heart rate up and helping her improve her running ability. HIIT Training has become an essential part of her training routine, and she loves the challenge it brings every time she steps onto the mat.
Todd’s biggest fitness achievement was completing the virtual Ultra Marathon race put on by Run with the world in 2020. Running alone on the local streets around his area was mentally tough, but knowing his family was waiting for him at the finish line kept him motivated to keep going. He finished the race in 5 hours and 36 minutes.
Todd has set some ambitious running goals for himself in 2023. He hopes to run a personal best at the Gold Coast Marathon, with his current PB standing at 3:25:21. He also aims to run a total of 3500km for the year, and although he has fallen behind his planned schedule, he is determined to catch up and achieve this goal by the end of the year.
Todd’s biggest source of motivation and support is his family. He wants to prove to his kids that age is just a number, and with determination and hard work, anything is achievable, even running personal bests at the age of 48. Todd also finds inspiration and motivation in watching the last hour of a marathon or Ironman event. He believes that the last few people to cross the finish line are the real heroes and champions of the race.
Despite being a seasoned runner, Todd admits that his biggest weakness is swimming and his lack of confidence in the water. Nevertheless, he
has set his sights on completing an Ironman someday, knowing that he has a lot of work to do on his swimming to get there.
TODD’S TOP RECOVERY TIPS
After a long run, Vicky says, ‘‘l love to take a long warm Epsom salts bath for at least 45 minutes, with a few stretches in the bath, it totally puts my body in relaxation mode.’’
”Age is just a number and you are still capable of achieving anything you want.”
