NRL champion Johnathan Thurston has opened up on one of the toughest challenges of his life, with the rugby league great reduced to tears after completing a gruelling 30-kilometre training run in the Australian outback.
The emotional scenes feature in Nine’s new documentary The Long Run, which follows Thurston, AFL legend Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin and 12 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women as they prepare for the New York City Marathon through the Indigenous Marathon Foundation.
Over six months, cameras capture the squad’s demanding physical training, personal sacrifices and emotional setbacks as they transform from everyday Australians into marathon runners.
Franklin and Thurston also tackle the 42.2-kilometre challenge for the first time, mentoring the group while confronting their own doubts and limits
The turning point comes during the Marathon Selection Run in Alice Springs in September, where participants must complete a punishing 30-kilometre course to earn their place on the plane to New York.
After crossing the finish line, Thurston is overwhelmed by the achievement.
Johnathan Thurston is overcome with emotion after completing the gruelling 30-kilometre Marathon Selection Run in Alice Springs during filming
The NRL legend sobbed after reaching a major milestone on his marathon journey
The normally composed rugby league legend breaks down in uncontrollable tears as months of training, self-doubt and physical exhaustion catch up with him.
Earlier in the documentary, Thurston admitted his first reaction to the challenge was disbelief.
‘When that first phone call came to me, my brain was just like [spinning],’ Thurston said.
‘I can’t run a marathon.’
He also admitted he wasn’t immediately convinced about taking part.
‘I was a little bit hesitant when we had the first conversations,’ he said.
‘It’s a big commitment. I had heard of IMF and they have changed lives for our culture.
‘The story of it appealed to me. I thought, what if 12 individuals who have never run a marathon or have never really trained, if they can do it, I can do it as well.’
The rugby league legend, pictured with the crew for The Long Run, admits marathon training pushed him further mentally and physically than he ever expected before New York
Thurston smiles as he completes the New York City Marathon following months of intensive training
Thurston admits he initially believed running a marathon was impossible before accepting the challenge
Over the following six months, cameras followed Thurston as he trained alongside the Indigenous Marathon Foundation’s 2025 squad, a diverse group of First Nations Australians brought together by a shared goal of completing one of the world’s most famous races.
The Alice Springs selection run represented the program’s biggest hurdle before New York.
Those who successfully completed the demanding 30 kilometres secured their place in the Indigenous Marathon Foundation team for the New York City Marathon.
For Thurston, who built a decorated career on toughness and resilience, the run proved every bit as mentally demanding as it was physically.
Reflecting on the experience, he said the connections formed within the group became just as important as the kilometres they covered.
‘They form a bond,’ Thurston said.
‘It’s a safe space for them to open up and seek help. I’ve done a lot of hard things in my life, and played at the highest level, but running a marathon is one of the toughest things I’ve done, mentally and physically.
‘I said to the squad, if they can do that, they can do anything they put their mind to. And there are some strong-minded people in that squad.’
Buddy Franklin and Johnathan Thurston share an embrace at the finish line of the New York Marathon
Thurston and Franklin proudly display the Aboriginal flag at the finish line of their journey
Like every runner, Thurston carried a personal reminder to help him through the toughest moments.
‘Everyone has a purpose – something to keep reminding them when that little devil’s on the shoulder going, ‘Oh, just give up’,’ he said.
‘I had the initials of my kids and wife.’
The documentary later follows the group to New York, where Thurston and Franklin complete their first marathon alongside the Indigenous Marathon Foundation squad.
Rather than tears, the finish line is one of celebration, with Thurston smiling as he embraces Franklin, mentors and fellow runners after completing the 42.2-kilometre event through the streets of New York.
Looking back on the journey, Thurston said the program had left a lasting impression on him.
‘[The IMF] is such a powerful organisation – the positive impact that it has on our communities and for our culture,’ he said.
‘I’m super proud of our squad members. Listening to their stories and the adversity that they’ve had to overcome.
‘Some of them have hit rock bottom and through applying for the IMF and running the New York Marathon, they’ve turned their lives around. And they’re making a positive impact now in their communities.’
Founded by Australian marathon great Robert de Castella in 2010, the Indigenous Marathon Foundation has graduated 167 First Nations participants and uses marathon running as a vehicle for leadership, health and community change.
