{"id":856417,"date":"2026-08-15T18:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T18:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/856417\/"},"modified":"2026-08-15T18:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T18:08:14","slug":"sydney-marathon-paul-gallen-and-michael-ennis-line-up-after-sharks-nrl-premiership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/856417\/","title":{"rendered":"Sydney Marathon: Paul Gallen and Michael Ennis line up after Sharks\u2019 NRL premiership"},"content":{"rendered":"

He played State of Origin busted and knocked out a former heavyweight world boxing champion, but Paul Gallen is determined not to let this month\u2019s Sydney Marathon be the thing that finally takes him out. <\/p>\n

The Sharks and New South Wales legend openly admits \u201cI\u2019m no runner\u201d, but is taking on the punishing 42.2km course through Sydney\u2019s CBD on August 30 as his next challenge.<\/p>\n

And \u2013 nearly 10 years to the day since they teamed up to win Cronulla\u2019s drought-breaking NRL premiership \u2013 Gallen will be joined on the start line by Michael Ennis. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe can run \u2013 he loves it,\u201d Gallen said of Ennis, who has been regularly clocking up 30km training runs around Cronulla. <\/p>\n

\u201cMick\u2019s a really good runner, one of the fittest blokes I ever played with. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe always led the training sessions, so I imagine he\u2019ll do a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gallen entered the Sydney Marathon months ago, with Ennis deciding to join in after they met to start planning a year 10-year premiership anniversary get together with Shane Flanagan. <\/p>\n

Training hasn\u2019t been going as smoothly for Gallen though. <\/p>\n

The 44-year-old hit the pavement in June for the 150km Big Three Trek to raise money for the Mark Hughes Foundation, but the long distance took its toll. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was so rewarding, I loved it, it was an awesome experience and the people were amazing,\u201d Gallen said. \u201cBut it wrecked me. <\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t run for weeks, so it probably set me back a month.\u201d<\/p>\n

With two weeks until race day, Gallen is finally stacking up the training miles again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was running on Monday around our area and the wind was horrible, it was so windy – the worst I\u2019ve experienced,\u201d Gallen said. \u201cMick drove past and saw me at one stage during my run.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe text me later saying, \u2018If you weren\u2019t so fat that wind would\u2019ve blown you all the way to Kurnell!\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cJosh Morris drove past and beeped at me as well. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard, I\u2019m not a runner, mate, it\u2019s not my sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to finish, and I know I\u2019ll finish it. I\u2019ll be mentally strong enough to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n

A decade after hanging up the footy boots, Ennis has a simple reason for wanting to take on the Sydney Marathon. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got four kids, and I love just showing them that dad\u2019s willing to have a go, and what can happen when you commit to something and put everything into it and stick at it,\u201d he told Code Sports. \u201cSport has always been a big part of my life, and when you stop playing, you have to find different ways to stimulate yourself. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to find new challenges and things that get you out of your comfort zone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gallen and Ennis will be joined by a who\u2019s who of Aussie sporting stars, including Ash Barty and the country\u2019s most successful ever Olympian, swimmer Emma McKeon. <\/p>\n

Having played NRL and Origin alongside Gallen, Ennis knows how tough his mate is, and has no doubt he\u2019ll cross the finish line in front of the Sydney Opera House.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got enormous respect for Gal, he\u2019s a great friend of mine, and he was so reliable,\u201d Ennis said. \u201cThe bigger the challenge, the better he performed. <\/p>\n

\u201cWatching his boxing journey, I remember he broke a rib in a fight, and as a mate, it was hard to see. It was shades of Rocky the way he hung in there. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s what\u2019s coming in this marathon. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut his mental resilience is unbelievable. He\u2019ll be at the finish line, and I\u2019m looking forward to sharing that experience with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally published as Paul Gallen and Michael Ennis to run Sydney Marathon, 10 years after Sharks premiership win<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"He played State of Origin busted and knocked out a former heavyweight world boxing champion, but Paul Gallen…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":856418,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[426617,426626,426627,325111,365771,426623,386599,378346,391203,426636,381058,381864,426607,426610,377545,426629,426637,426631,426616,426649,381402,426641,126238,64,405653,426644,63,426614,68077,26958,18934,377817,417682,426639,384597,5588,426640,28791,426624,426625,426646,426633,426620,1571,426622,60057,19433,426608,104834,32917,3412,13052,187,426638,426650,761,762,426634,426609,426632,158,426651,420184,16911,412107,6622,2821,426615,38759,106057,426643,4583,426612,588,85,2177,426642,670,73901,426635,426645,380862,320297,313300,379738,407929,422939,426655,426647,426653,426619,379066,426656,87397,426630,426613,426652,426657,389075,376983,426611,426654,214758,385355,239728,426628,426621,426648,381799,1542,381069,29258,10650,426618],"class_list":["post-856417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-s-cbd","tag-s-drought-breaking-nrl-premiership-gallen","tag-s-sydney-marathon","tag-my-life","tag-10-years","tag-30km-training-runs","tag-a-big-part","tag-a-decade","tag-a-fight","tag-a-former-heavyweight-world-boxing-champion","tag-a-go","tag-a-good-time","tag-a-great-friend","tag-a-mate","tag-a-month","tag-a-really-good-runner","tag-a-rib","tag-a-runner","tag-a-simple-reason","tag-a-year-10-year-premiership-anniversary","tag-all-the-way","tag-an-awesome-experience","tag-ash-barty","tag-au","tag-august-30","tag-aussie-sporting-stars","tag-australia","tag-big-three-trek","tag-code-sports","tag-cronulla","tag-dad","tag-different-ways","tag-ennis","tag-enormous-respect","tag-four-kids","tag-front","tag-gal","tag-gallen","tag-gallen-and-ennis","tag-his-boxing-journey","tag-his-mate","tag-his-mental-resilience","tag-his-next-challenge-and","tag-history","tag-its-toll","tag-josh-morris","tag-june","tag-kurnell","tag-mate","tag-michael-ennis","tag-mick","tag-monday","tag-money","tag-my-run","tag-my-sport","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nearly-10-years","tag-new-challenges-and-things","tag-no-runner","tag-nrl","tag-nrl-and-origin","tag-one-stage","tag-origin","tag-our-area","tag-part","tag-paul-gallen","tag-paul-gallen-and-michael-ennis","tag-race-day","tag-rocky","tag-shades","tag-shane-flanagan","tag-sharks-premiership","tag-sport","tag-sports","tag-state","tag-swimmer-emma-mckeon","tag-sydney","tag-sydney-marathon","tag-that-experience","tag-the-150km","tag-the-44-year-old","tag-the-challenge","tag-the-country","tag-the-day","tag-the-finish-line","tag-the-fittest","tag-the-footy-boots","tag-the-long-distance","tag-the-mark-hughes-foundation","tag-the-pavement","tag-the-people","tag-the-punishing-42-2km-course","tag-the-sharks","tag-the-sharks-and-new-south-wales-legend","tag-the-start-line","tag-the-sydney-marathon","tag-the-sydney-marathon-months","tag-the-sydney-opera-house","tag-the-thing","tag-the-training-miles","tag-the-training-sessions","tag-the-way","tag-the-wind","tag-the-worst","tag-their-first-nrl-premiership","tag-their-newest-challenge","tag-this-marathon","tag-this-month","tag-training","tag-two-weeks","tag-weeks","tag-wind","tag-your-comfort-zone"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=856417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856417\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/856418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=856417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=856417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=856417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}