Paul Nicholls

In 2019 he set himself the goal of completing the Gold Coast Half Marathon in under 3 hours and coupled with preventative exercise he had been doing over the previous 12 months, was really well placed to achieve this goal. Paul had very limited experience in doing any physical activity other than walking. In fact, Paul had not run properly in over 50 years!!

Paul made full use of the wider multi-disciplinary team at PEAK, through our musculoskeletal podiatry team, massage, physiotherapy, chiropractic, anti-gravity treadmill and Stride running club.

He was determined to be prepared and leave no stone unturned.  He was fearful that his knee pain may return and he had some roadblocks on the way with a calf complaint just 4 weeks before the race. The fact Paul had a strong meaning to this event kept him focussed on the start and finish lines. He wanted to achieve this goal knowing he had the support not just of the PEAK community but from his closest family including his grandchildren. Working alongside Blane, his goal was to be able to jog 200m in every 1km of the race.  Come race day this year, as many of us do, Paul set off with a wave of adrenaline and pushed himself, by his own admission, a little hard in the early stages of the race. He had nothing left in the tank for the last 1km but, supported by Blane, crossed the line in 3 hours, 2 minutes and 19 seconds. He was ecstatic and so were we!