Brad Smithers
Treasurer
Brad was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. He is a reformed accountant and in 2010 celebrated his 50th birthday by running the 6ft track and since then has continued this passion by running predominantly on bush trails over various distances including the North Face 100 in the Blue Mountains. While running trails he observed a genuine “fellowship” with fellow trail runners as well as a connection with the trees, the mountain air, black cockatoos and with the earth. He is a firm believer in “Pay it Forward,” repaying good things done to him to others instead of the originator of the good deed with the ultimate aim to make our world a better place to live.
Helen Pretty
Secretary
I run trails. Lots of them. I’m not fast, but I love the peace, tranquillity and the scenery out there and you will usually find me running with a camera to capture those magic moments on the trails. I’ve been running for over 20 years and run both short and long distances, although the marathon and 50 km are my favorite. I’m a keen trail runner on events such as the Six Foot Track Marathon, Woodford to Glenbrook, the old Mt Wilson to Bilpin bush run, Wild Endurance, the Kepler Challenge in NZ, but have been known to run road races too, like the Gold Coast Marathon, Sydney and Tokyo Marathons. As I said though, I’m not fast – you will find me in the back half of a race, but hey, I enjoy it and that works for me. I am really happy to be part of the RW committee – I love volunteering at events and crewing. It’s an amazing experience giving something back to the sport you love and helping others achieve their goals.
Matt Dunshea
President, RD
It’s only been in the last three years that I’ve taken to running in a “serious” way and to train for, and enter, races – mainly trail races. Previously, I used to run to supplement training for other sports that I was playing at the time. I find being involved as a volunteer for events every bit as rewarding as actually racing them. I’ve enjoyed being a part of the Running Wild team since Season 7 and especially love belonging to the broader Blue Mountains running community.