Each April, runners gather at Melbourne’s famed Tan Track for an event that is as much a celebration of performance as it is of progress. The Run the Tan event, held on the 3.8-kilometre loop around the Royal Botanic Gardens, has become a standout on the Australian athletics calendar — not just for its course or competition, but for its equal treatment of para and able-bodied athletes.
Few events in the world offer equal prize money for elite para athletes. Run the Tan does, and that parity is something para competitors notice.
“It tells me and shows me that we are equal regardless of gender, whether you have a disability or not.”
MICHAEL ROEGER, Paralympic medallist
“Firstly, kudos to Darren and all the Run the Tan committee & sponsors! It’s huge to have equal prize money for able-bodied & para-athletes. It just signifies that what I’m trying to achieve, it tells me and shows me that we are equal regardless of gender, whether you have a disability or not,” said Michael Roeger, a Paralympic medallist and multiple-time world record holder.
“I think Para athletes who come and race the Run the Tan event feel a sense of community and respect and support from the event like none other, it is very unique and more events should take notice.”
Roeger currently holds the fastest para athlete time around the Tan, and he’s hoping to improve on that again this year.
“I always want to be better than l was a year ago, so I feel this year I want to break my record around the Tan again, I’ve done it the last two years and there is no reason I can’t go quicker again.”
For Roeger, who has raced from 1500 metres to the marathon on the world stage, the Tan’s 3.8km distance presents a welcome middle ground.
“I think over my career it has changed,” he said of his preferred distance. “I grew up loving cross country and it seemed the longer the distance the better I was. That is why I really enjoy the challenge of the Tan, it is undulating on a gravel surface, you have to be a strong runner.”
Although Roeger found success in the marathon — and still harbors goals over that distance — he has had to adapt after the event was removed from his classification at the Paralympic Games.
“In the Paralympics not every distance is offered up, I think if I got to pick an event it would be the 5000m or the marathon.
“I loved the marathon but after Tokyo 2021, it got pulled from my class at the games. I feel I am pretty happy and content with my track PBs but the marathon is the one event where I feel I haven’t reached my full potential. Maybe one day I’ll go back to it.”
A Leaderboard That Matters
In addition to prize money, Run the Tan has helped introduce permanent electronic leaderboards known as the Tan Clocks, which record the fastest times by male, female, and para athletes. Roeger, whose name currently tops the para leaderboard, says it has become a surprising but special source of pride.
“A big one, which I never thought would come to fruition is the Para leaderboard, which I currently hold the record of. I have had so many friends take pictures of it and send it to me which is pretty cool.”
He first decided to race the event after a conversation with fellow Paralympian Jaryd Clifford.
“Jaryd had a word to me and said what a great event it was. He thought I would give the record a crack… I was in New Zealand and changed my flights to get to the event.”
Roeger’s focus this year is balanced between competition and a major life change.
“We have World Champs in India in October, but I’m just taking it as it comes at the moment. My partner Lauren and I have a baby girl due next month. I raced a good 3000m the other night in Sydney, I will run nationals early next month in the 1500m and run some road races over winter.”
Hear from Michael Roeger after the 2023 Run the Tan in the video below.
On the Rise: Annabelle Colman
Annabelle Colman, one of Australia’s top young para athletes, is also returning to Run the Tan with clear goals. She holds the fastest women’s para time on the course and is aiming to go faster this year.
“My goal is to run under 13:20. I have run that time unofficially, but I now want that time on the ‘Tan Clocks.’”
Colman, who specialises in the 1500 metres, had her breakthrough moment at the Paris Paralympics in 2024.
“My PB was the time I ran at the Paris Paralympics in September last year. That was 4:31, and I came in 4th place in that race. I’m looking to improve on that, going under 4:30 is my next big target.”
Though the Tan’s 3.8km loop is longer than her usual event, Colman is no stranger to pushing the distance.
“I am happy running longer than 1500m, I run lots of 3 & 5km races. It has been a hot summer in Melbourne, so looking forward to running the longer distances in cooler weather. We are heading to Flagstaff, Arizona in May for an altitude training camp, so there will be plenty of opportunities.”
Colman remembers the experience of Run the Tan fondly — not just for the race, but for the atmosphere and sense of community.
“It is such a great atmosphere at Run the Tan, I know so many people running. It is awesome that they have an elite para event which promotes running to all para athletes. The new electronic clocks are a great, and my name being there is definitely a highlight. But of course the biggest highlight was getting up on the podium, hope I can do that again this year!”
More Than a Race
What makes Run the Tan unique isn’t only the setting or the competition. It’s the sense that para athletes are not just included—they’re celebrated.
Separate elite fields for para athletes, parity in prize money, and permanent recognition on the course’s official leaderboards all contribute to a growing reputation as one of Australia’s most inclusive and forward-thinking running events.
Roeger puts it simply:
“To be able to battle it out just with the elite para guys is pretty cool.”
In an elite sports world still catching up on equity, Run the Tan isn’t just making space for para athletes — it’s putting them on equal footing, both on the start line and the podium.
Run the Tan – Sunday 27 April
Join elite athletes, celebrities, emergency service workers and schools as they run The Tan and raise funds and awareness for local mental health charities.
