About us

Banner21The MMM’s are an informal running club based at the Tan in Melbourne. High performing club members include Paul Martinico (2nd 2009 Christchurch Marathon 2:22), Bruce Arthur (Dual Victorian Orienteering Champion, Australian Orienteering representative), James Atkinson (2011 AV Winter age group champion), Mike Bialzcak (2012 AV Winter age group champion) and Janice De Vries (2017 AV Winter age group champion). Many MMMers perform without distinction in the Athletics Victoria summer and winter competitions. Many MMMers don’t perform or train at all but get by on muscle memory.

The bottom line is we have a broad range of ages and abilities amongst the MMM membership. As a general guide if you can run between 11:30 and 20 minutes for the Tan or between 30 minutes and 50 minutes for a 10km then you would find plenty of people to run with in the group. If you feel you are slower than these times but are looking to improve, then this is a great environment to do it. Everyone is welcome. Sessions can be modified to suit individuals and there is plenty of information on the way to get the best out of yourself.

The general drill is to rock down to the Pillars of Wisdom at the Tan at 12.30pm weekdays and join in a training session with fellow runners. A fortnightly training programme is available on this website. The training programme will generally be based around two quality (fartlek, interval and hill) sessions a week on Tuesday and Thursday with the remaining sessions generally being easy or steady runs around the Tan, the Yarra and Fawkner Park. Most sessions will last about 30 or 40 minutes so including the jog to the start can generally be squeezed into a (slightly generous) lunch hour. If your employer complains about a long lunch tell them its all part of work-life balance and you are networking with other professionals.

The sessions are generally tailored for runners training for 5K to 10K races but can be adapted for those training for longer or shorter distances. For example, if the scheduled session is 6 x 1km, marathoners may want to add in an extra km or 2 at the end. It is about personal responsibility for your own training programme and that must be a part of any successful running programme. MMMs also do long runs at various locations around Melbourne on the weekend.

The Club runs a number of regular events each year. Among the most popular are the March team relays which involve teams of 4 runners running 4 legs each in different courses in country Victoria. These races are great fun for participants and spectators and are run in a friendly competitive spirit. Videos, photos and lists of all races are available on this website. The club also runs a championship each year with cash prizes on offer for the winner.

The MMM membership contains a huge pool of training knowledge. Approach any of the older members of the group and you will be regaled with stories of their glory days and how soft young runners have become. On one of my first training sessions I approached the late past President of the club Max Howard for the secrets of his past success. Expecting a detailed outline of a scientific training programme I was flummoxed by his succinct response: “I trained my guts out”. Now folks, you will have to go a long way to get training advice of that quality.

MMMs are happy to welcome new members for a nominal fee of $20 per year! You can’t go wrong. Just turn up at the Tan or contact one of the committee members who will steer you in the right direction. You will find the group is a great resource in helping you to improve your running.

Happy running!

Anthony Mithen,
Former Secretary.

Click here to view the MMM Event History.

Click here to view the MMM Honour Board.

Click here to view the January 2009 Run For Your Life ‘Club of the Month’ article