How one walk transformed Kirily’s life
When Grampians Health community health nurse Cath McDonald started planning a half-marathon event for Edenhope, she was targeting people like Kirily Ryan.
Six months ago, Kirily said there was “no way” she could walk 21 kilometres. As for running, she hadn’t done that in three decades.
Kirily can now be seen running Edenhope’s 5.5km Lake Wallace perimeter track three times per week, before sunrise. On alternate days, she walks. It was Cath’s challenge that sparked a whole new fitness era.
“She told me to get off my butt and start training for the half-marathon,” Kirily said. “I just looked at her and said, ‘no way’; I’d never walked that far in my life.”
But a seed had been planted. Kirily shared the challenge with her neighbour, Jan, and the pair slowly built up the kilometres.
“We worked our way up, from one lap of the lake, to two, then four,” Kirily said. “We have compatible personalities and talked so much that the laps were done before we knew it.”
The friends navigated Edenhope’s inaugural half-marathon, four months ago, with ease.
“We just wanted to share that post on social media saying, ‘we did it!’,” Kirily said. “It was a very proud moment, because we actually walked further than the 21km.”
The challenge was behind her, but Kirily’s life was fundamentally changed.
“I had discovered early morning exercise and I had so much more energy, I was more productive and even my sleep was better,” she said. “I wasn’t going to stop.”
With newfound confidence in her physical ability, Kirily decided to push herself further.
“I was watching a bloke run past every day and thought, ‘I reckon I could do that’,” she said. “I’m nearly 50 so it was kind of about proving to myself that I could do it at my age too.”
A few weeks in, Kirily was running the full 5.5km loop.
“I’ve lost weight, I’m fitter and I just feel better about myself every day,” she said. “What I’d say to other people is, just give it a go; nothing’s impossible. If I can do it, anyone can do it.”
Kirily’s love of exercise was what community health nurse Cath McDonald hoped to foster when she came up with the challenge, which required training and commitment.
“People don’t realise how capable their bodies are and sometimes we need a concrete challenge to create those life-changing habits,” Cath said.
“When exercise is incorporated into our routine it is no longer a chore, it really is a joy. We are in the process of planning our 2026 half-marathon and I hope Kirily’s incredible effort inspires more people to start slow and give it a go.”
Follow Grampians Health Edenhope on Facebook for details about the 2026 event.
