Daz shows us the ‘proper’ technique

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As the Director of Campus Wellbeing and Support Services, Darren Peters is a vital part of the Macquarie community. Here, we get to know a little bit more about Daz.

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Tell us about a personal passion or hobby – what is it and why do you enjoy it?

My passion is soft sand running. I’ve loved it since I was 16 years-old.

When you walk down the beach at 5am and see the sun coming up, and a beach with no footsteps on it, it seems like you are on a secluded island. Running on the beach is special, except when the tide is up too high and the wind is against you.

What led you to be interested in this, and when did your passion first develop? 

Some of my school mates were in a surf club and my twin brother joined, so I eventually did. When he won his first medal beach sprinting, I watched everyone think he was the best ever and I got a touch of the green eyes.

My obsession for it started when I was 21. Training and racing gave me purpose in life and led me towards studying exercise science at university, rather than banking.

Can you share a particularly special memory relating to your passion? 

Just last year I went to the World Masters Championships in Amsterdam and I won the beach sprint and relay again, 24 years after I won it as an Open Athlete for the Australian Team. It meant a lot to me to prove that I could still do it. In addition, running with my first ever coach and twin brother made it special.

How does your soft sand running affect your personal wellbeing? How do you make time for it with your work commitments?

I don’t feel like ‘Daz’ when I can’t do it. It gives me another purpose in life other than being a dad and a manager, but better still it drives me to continually try and understand how to master movement on the soft sand. Finally, I feel that I belong.

I train every morning and just do weights 2-3 times a week at lunchtime so it doesn’t affect work. The gym here is very good.

How does soft sand running influence or inform the work you do at Macquarie?

I think it’s made me appreciate academic enquiry. I wrote my first assignment in 1988 on beach sprint starts, and my first book was about ‘Nipper’ training, so being grounded in enquiry is so important. My present focus is understanding student wellbeing and engagement – having a passion makes you aware of the excitement learning can bring. I try to use this to motivate students who struggle.