ORANGE’S Nathan Sutherland is edging closer to a place in the Indigenous Marathon Project’s team to go to New York.
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Sutherland has been busy in recent weeks, taking out the 11km event at the Australian Outback Marathon and contesting the City2Surf for the first time.
The 11km event, at the end of July, was run near Ayres Rock and took competitors off sealed roads, onto dirt tracks and over sand dunes.
Sutherland finished the race in 41 minutes and 34 seconds, almost six minutes ahead of the second-placed runner.
“I was pretty pleased with the time considering we went through sand dunes,” Sutherland said.
Just over two weeks ago Sutherland contested the City2Surf for the first time.
He finished the 14km course in 51.29 to finish 165th out of almost 69,000 finishers.
“It was pretty challenging,” he said.
“Heartbreak Hill isn’t very steep but it goes for about a kilometre. That hurts the legs.”
The 19-year-old will attend his final IMP camp in Alice Springs at the end of September where he will be put through a 30km time trial - the furthest distance he has run.
Following the camp, they will select the team to contest the New York Marathon in November.
Sutherland is confident he will be in the team to contest this year’s New York Marathon.
The IMP was created with the help of running legend Rob de Castella with the goal to produce an indigenous running champion who would represent Australia at the 2016 Olympics.
