How Belinda's morning jog broke the silence

For Mount Gambier runner Belinda Seaman, a “big surprise” came with the inaugural Virtual Challenge.

Wearing her Run Against Violence shirt, she had people stop her in the street and share the very stories that are so often shrouded in secrecy.

Like the woman who spoke about leaving an abusive marriage several years earlier.

"She talked about her circumstances, and with a huge teary hug, she thanked me and RAV for what we were doing,” Belinda recalls.

"Another lady, who attended one of our group runs, had witnessed her mother leave a violent relationship and then rebuild her confidence and life. She wanted to educate her children so they would not be exposed to that type of environment."

This is a story of how steps run together can help to shatter the silence around the experience of family violence.

It’s also a story that has been playing out since the inaugural 2017 Virtual Challenge, when teams signed up for a “virtual run” to support RAV co-founder Kirrily Dear as she ran 1300 kilometres from Broken Hill to Sydney over 19 days.

After the 2017 Broken Hill to Sydney Virtual Challenge, 59 per cent of participants surveyed said they had more conversations. Some 58 per cent of the surveyed said they shared more stories and articles about family violence prevention.

For Belinda and her team, hearing personal stories had a profound impact on their marathon efforts to support awareness of domestic violence.

As the team entered into the later days of the challenge “and people were becoming exhausted”, they would look to the stories they had heard and seen posted on RAV social media pages.

“Someone would talk about why they were running the challenge and they would reflect on those currently in a violent relationship or who may have even died as a result of domestic violence. And this would give them the energy to continue on their run".

Belinda Seaman classed herself as an inexperienced runner, the day she spied the inaugural Virtual Challenge.

"I had started running only a few months before. The 2017 Broken Hill to Sydney race caught my attention because I love supporting my community. I asked around, and 19 of my friends soon signed on. But the big surprise is what happened when I started running around my community.

Belinda has again rallied together a team of up to 20 runners to complete the 2019 Virtual Challenge.

"We never know the true extent we impact people. Everyone can play a part in building stronger, safer communities. That might be through educating the community by sharing stories, or supporting someone through their time of need. One person can make a difference."