Community is often lauded a force for transformation, being able to move mountains when directed to do so and enrich the individuals that make the whole. However, it can be difficult to feel this force in a tangible, everyday way. I experienced the sheer power of community after waking up at 3am, with rain hammering down, to commute into the city to join over 500 strangers to run.
Nedd’s Milk have been ‘running’ across Australia, firing-up hundreds of people to wake-up at the crack of dawn to run with Nedd Brockmann at 4am. With meeting points announced with less than 24-hours’ notice in Wollongong, Canberra, Bonnie Doon, Geelong, Melbourne and Sydney, it is hard to conceive anyone turning up to these events, let alone hundreds. Yet that’s exactly what happened every time Nedd and the crew rolled into a new city, hundreds of people, of all ages and walks of life, dragged themselves out of bed and made the uncomfortable decision to go for a run.
Beginning with a pump-up from Nedd, each run started 4am on the dot and took participants down one direction for 25 minutes before turning back and running back for another 25 minutes. This format not only allowed for people of all abilities to participate at their own pace but also allowed Nedd to dart back and forth through the masses, giving out high-fives, selfies and words to fire-up to. At the end, the community was rewarded with Nedd’s milks and a chance to take pictures with Nedd. What was astonishing, is that despite the early wake up and the generally quick and crowded run, every single person was ecstatic to be there and keen for a chat with complete strangers.
What is clear is that the joy and fervour didn’t come from the running or even the choccy milks at the end, but in the sense of belonging felt—being surrounded by strangers, all connected through their shared administration for Nedd and the common desire to positively transform the lives of people experiencing homelessness. These runs demonstrated what community really means, people turning up no matter the circumstances and connecting with complete strangers, with no idea if they will see each other ever again.
For me – and according to Strava countless others – the power of community went one step further, with my Milk Run being a personal best run. This was not spurred by a sense of competition or the requirement to run as hard as I possible could, I was merely swept up by the collective force of everyone around me and trotted along with a smile on my face and a seemingly quick pace I only noticed once I hit stop on my watch. If ever there was a lesson here, it is that community not only turns up no matter what, but it also implicitly inspires you to do better.
With several PBs hit, and more Strava kudos received from complete strangers, I am left with this overwhelming sense of what we as a community can achieve. Individuals inspired to do their best, who collectively have an impact far greater than the sum of their parts. This is the sentiment that forms one of our pillars at Mobilise; facilitating connections to ignite a movement that unites the nation to change lives. This is not a theoretical vision, but something we live and breathe, and if these runs are anything to go by, this community has the power and passion to come together and be the ones to solve homelessness in Australia.
