Running for a reason took on a special meaning for Perth runner Nathaniel Shivaraman who conquered his fears to not only complete his first ever marathon in June, but also raise more than $2,700 for the Great Barrier Reef in the process. With the team at the Great Barrier Reef Foundation preparing to embark on our first ever Bridge to Brisbane running challenge on 28 August, Nathaniel’s story is inspiring us all right now. We’d love you to join and support us too.

What does it take to run your first marathon? For the Perth mechanical engineer, it meant giving up anything that could slow him down. That included coffee, sugar (no dessert!), all forms of fast food, alcohol and soft drink. Debilitating cramps and the fear of injury almost crushed Nathaniel’s chances of achieving his goal. So was all that sacrifice, not to mention the endless hours of training, worth it?

How did it feel to achieve your goal to complete your first marathon?

It was exhilarating. But I almost didn’t get there. I actually completely seized up with cramps 1 km before the finish line, and had to stand still for a minute before limping the last bit. I can’t tell you how unbelievably frustrating that was when you have all the determination in the world, and your body doesn’t want to move. Naturally I when I finished, I felt exhausted. But I wanted to do another marathon about 10 minutes later after eating the free sausage sizzle on offer!

What prompted you to take on a marathon?

I’ve loved running outdoors ever since I was young. My job is very fast-paced and running is a great outlet to release my pent up energy and stress. Running really does give you a natural high from the endorphins and I love being out in the sun and fresh air. I also suffered from asthma as kid and running regularly helped me cure that. I set myself a goal to run a marathon before I turned 27 and I’ve done that.

What inspired you to run for the Reef?

I was inspired by reading all the news about the Great Barrier Reef posted on Reddit’s World News and Science sections. The Reef and coral bleaching generated a lot of international attention online, but there was very little coverage on the local Perth news which was surprising. I was fascinated to discover how complex the entire Great Barrier Reef ecosystem is – how all the fish and marine mammals rely on the reefs as hunting grounds, how oceanic phytoplankton are generating breathable oxygen for our atmosphere, and how the warmer temperatures resulting from global warming are causing the corals to attack symbiotic life that lives in its skeleton resulting in bleaching.

I’ve always been passionate about practising science and the environment. I work as a professional mechanical engineer, and I have project managed and constructed a few environmentally-focused projects involving contaminated soil remediation, and wastewater treatment. I always consider the environment when it comes to designing facilities – not simply to meet regulations, but to mitigate our human footprint as much as possible. When we’re gone, the earth should always look like we were never there.

Have you visited the Great Barrier Reef?

Not yet, but I am planning to visit in September. It’s a long way away from Perth, Western Australia! I plan to go snorkelling with some friends and will make sure we’re all careful not to touch nor interact with the coral in any way that could harm it further.

Why did you choose the Foundation to donate to?

I enjoy giving to charities that don’t just research, but also communicate the science behind the issue and actively deliver projects, which is why giving to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation was so appealing to me. Getting buy-in and educating the general public over scientific issues is half the hurdle to allocating resources and procuring funding to address the issue.

How did you raise such a generous donation amount?

I used the Everyday Hero website to spam my friends and co-workers to get donations. I had used it before for some cycling events and found it very easy to use.

I would like to thank all the donors – friends, family and co-workers – who gave me a lot of motivation to do this. Together we raised $2,732.

What’s your next challenge?

I plan to run many more kilometres. There’s another marathon in November on scenic Rottnest Island off the coast of Western Australia, well known for its cute marsupial resident, the quokka.

Everyone can ‘Run for the Reef’ – Bridge to Brisbane 2016 

If Nathaniel’s story has inspired you to get active and help save our Great Barrier Reef at the same time, we’d love you to join our Reef Runners team for the Bridge to Brisbane event on Sunday 28 August. There are 10 km and 5 km options for runners, joggers and walkers. If you can’t take part on the day, you can still be part of our team by helping us reach our fundraising goal by giving whatever you can to the Reef.