{"id":809941,"date":"2026-07-19T09:53:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T09:53:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/809941\/"},"modified":"2026-07-19T09:53:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T09:53:23","slug":"canberras-worst-run-club-has-earned-its-name-so-wanna-go-for-a-run-at-4-am","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/809941\/","title":{"rendered":"Canberra\u2019s Worst Run Club has earned its name. So, wanna go for a run? At 4 am?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a bit hard to see in the dark, but this is Mount Taylor on an early winter morning. Photo: Todd Smith.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the time of day when the bush capital is still asleep, dawn is still two or three hours away, and shift workers are getting into bed.<\/p>\n

Despite the early hour of 4 am, there\u2019s a small group running in the early-morning dark of Canberra\u2019s south.<\/p>\n

For the past several weeks, members of Canberra\u2019s newest run club have been spending more than two hours each week summiting Mount Taylor.<\/p>\n

Co-founder (and marathon runner) Todd Smith says everything about their club has been picked to make it a challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s probably the worst, as far as what it asks of you and all the elements surrounding it,\u201d he tells Region.<\/p>\n

\u201cMonday\u2019s the worst day to go for a run and winter\u2019s the worst time to run \u2026 The idea is you get up and you eat the frog.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why do they purposely make everything so hard? Because they\u2019re Canberra\u2019s Worst Run Club.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Todd (left) and Michael are long-time runners \u2013 and Mount Taylor is their latest challenge. Photo: Supplied.<\/p>\n

Todd developed the club with a friend, having developed a passion for running after the birth of his second child.<\/p>\n

That was in 2022, meaning he\u2019s spent the past four years getting out of bed at around 4 am to run 15 or 20 kilometres before breakfast.<\/p>\n

Todd eventually decided it was time to see if others wanted to hit the pavement (or rather, the gravel trail) outside of the \u2018normal\u2019 run club schedule.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re either 6 am or 6 pm \u2026 I was like, \u2018There\u2019s nothing that\u2019s wildly out there that suits people with a weird schedule\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to miss out on putting the kids to bed to run 5 km around Lake Burley Griffin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their route starts on Sulwood Drive in Kambah and takes six passes up and down the hill, for a roughly 16-kilometre route.<\/p>\n

They start from the carpark and head up Mount Taylor, before running down the other side.<\/p>\n

Todd is the first to say it\u2019s a big commitment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t do as many kilometres during the week.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t walk for the first couple of days afterwards. Then you get back moving, and by the time you recover, it\u2019s Monday again.\u201d<\/p>\n

You might remember the frozen windshields that greet you on your commute and wonder how they handle the cold.<\/p>\n

Todd says they refuse to bow to it \u2013 stepping out into the cold is part of the experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we call it off because it was minus-4 degrees, it defeats the purpose. It\u2019s a winter run club!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"running<\/p>\n

Sure, it\u2019s daylight in this picture, but the run started 2 hours 35 minutes earlier. Photo: Todd Smith.<\/p>\n

While Canberra\u2019s Worst Run Club will only run until the end of winter, Todd\u2019s hopeful their \u201cannual pilgrimage\u201d up and down Mount Taylor will return in 12 months.<\/p>\n

\u201cWinter\u2019s really hard in Canberra \u2026 The minuses are hard; getting out the door is hard.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou lose a lot of motivation. My point was, \u2018What if I just did something and created a very small community?’\u201d<\/p>\n

The social aspect of heading out for a run with mates is echoed by Strategic Psychology\u2019s managing director, Nesh Nikolic.<\/p>\n

The clinical psychologist encourages us to make time for exercise at this time of year.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs it gets colder, we do tend to be a bit more reserved, more insular, less active,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes people talk about a seasonal type of mood that they experience, where people feel flatter, more fatigued in the wintertime. \u2026 Being active, it obviously offsets that, if you will, or it can work as stress reduction to improve their mood.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Mr Nikolic says that these \u201cquite considerable\u201d social benefits are matched by exercise\u2019s support for our health (including for our brains).<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we do something strenuous and tough, it makes us more resilient so that we can carry discomfort in other parts of our lives,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we do something hard [you can later think], \u2018When I meet something else hard in my life, I feel more confident to carry that discomfort, burden or whatever it might be.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Todd, their run club stands as even more proof that the bush capital loves running.<\/p>\n

He believes that Canberra\u2019s trail runners will find it a welcome addition to their training plans.<\/p>\n

\u201cCanberra\u2019s blessed. It\u2019s got so many hills, and there\u2019s a huge trail running cohort.\u201d<\/p>\n

Follow the adventures of Canberra\u2019s Worst Run Club<\/a> on Instagram.<\/p>\n

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