The Long Run: A Story of Resilience and Community
- TCS Sydney Marathon
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
For anyone who has trained for a marathon, there is a moment when the race stops being about pace, splits or finish times. It becomes something deeper: belief, courage, community, and the quiet decision to keep going.
That is the heartbeat of The Long Run, a powerful new documentary supported by TCS and created in collaboration with the Indigenous Marathon Foundation (IMF), Good Shout and the Nine Network.
A partnership built on purpose
Behind this story is a long standing partnership built on purpose. Since 2017, TCS has worked with the Indigenous Marathon Foundation to create opportunity through running - supporting First Nations participation, leadership and long-term community impact.
That journey began through TCS’s Community Innovation Program (now known as Tech4HOPE), an initiative focused on using technology to support organisations driving meaningful social change. Early collaboration included digital tools designed to connect runners across remote and regional communities, enabling access to training, coaching and support regardless of location.
Over time, this shared commitment to health, connection and opportunity has grown into a partnership that has supported more than 160 IMF runners to participate in events such as the TCS Sydney Marathon, the TCS New York City Marathon and the Canberra Times Marathon Festival, helping build confidence, leadership and stronger communities along the way.
Now approaching a decade in 2027, the partnership reflects a simple but powerful belief: that running can transform lives far beyond race day. Through initiatives that expand access, elevate Indigenous participation and strengthen connection and wellbeing, TCS and IMF continue to demonstrate the enduring impact of purpose led collaboration.
More than a marathon
The Long Run, brings this partnership to life in a deeply human and powerful way.
The documentary follows the 2025 Indigenous Marathon Project squad members, alongside IMF Ambassadors Johnathan Thurston and Lance “Buddy” Franklin, as they prepare to complete the TCS New York City Marathon after just six months of training.
For the TCS Sydney Marathon community, it is a reminder of what running can unlock in people’s lives. IMF’s Indigenous Marathon Project selects 12 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants each year for a six-month journey built not only on running, but on health, education and leadership. The marathon is the milestone, but never the whole story. The true legacy lies in the confidence built, the identity strengthened, and the ripple effects carried back into families and communities.
With you for the long run
This belief also sits at the heart of the TCS Sydney Marathon. Since becoming naming rights partner in 2024, TCS has helped strengthen Sydney Marathon’s ambition to be more inclusive, accessible and sustainable. That same year, the event earned Abbott World Marathon Major status, placing Sydney among the world’s great marathon cities.
But the future of marathon running will not be shaped by numbers alone. It will be shaped by the stories that remind us why the sport matters in the first place.
The Long Run is one of those stories. For runners in Sydney, it is an invitation to see the marathon not only as a test of endurance, but as a platform for belonging, purpose and possibility.
Some finish lines change your life. Others help change lives beyond your own. This story is about both.
Premieres 28 June on Channel 9, 9Now and Stan
Learn more about IMF here.
