WHEN Richard Tann woke up one morning and decided to go for a run, he never imagined he would one day receive a medal of the Order of Australia.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The retired engineer can be seen running Lake Wendouree with a dedicated clan behind him any day of the the week.
The group – now known as the Tann Clan – was formed by accident.
The veteran Melbourne Marathon runner – who has 35 marathons under his belt – has raised thousands for countless charities including Relay for Life and cancer research.
“My overwhelming feeling is one of being humbled, it is very humbling,” Mr Tann said.
“I know for fact there are 100,000 people equally and more worthy (of this award) than me.”
Mr Tann said the key to the group’s success was that it gave people a sense of belonging.
“It’s not a competitive environment,” Mr Tann said.
“(The group size) varies, in winter we seem to go more – sometimes we have over 100 people.
“We always say that the slowest runner depicts how fast we go, we also regroup. That’s what we do – it’s not an intimidating environment.”
Mr Tann, an inspiration to many, is not ready to give up running despite being an octogenarian.
“”You never stop brushing your teeth, so why would you stop running?”