Fun Run, Melbourne

A huge dance party crashes the Arts Centre Melbourne forecourt, moving in unison to a banging soundtrack. Athletes, trampolinists, martial artists, cyclists, cheerleaders, drummers and dancers flood the stage. Amid this spectacle, one thing remains constant: a shirtless man is running on a treadmill, and he’s not stopping until he’s done 42 kilometres.

This is Fun Run: an epic community spectacle. Over five hours, Melbourne-based performance artist Tristan Meecham will run a non-stop marathon, fuelled by riotous performances and cheering crowds.

Part dance party, part performance piece, Fun Run was created back in 2010 for Next Wave Festival as a celebration of endurance. It’s also a homage to the Greek messenger Pheidippides, who ran all the way to Athens to announce the Persians’ defeat in the battle of Marathon. (We bet you can guess the distance he ran: 42km.) But while poor, loyal Pheidippides supposedly dropped dead on arrival to Athens, Meecham has ran the event multiple times all over the world, drawing energy from the joyful party around him.

In the months preceding the event, All The Queens Men and Art Centre Melbourne undertook the following activities: 

• 24 workshops with 19 community groups who then performed at the event (in partnership with Circus Oz) 

• 23 workshops with members of the general public and school students who then participated in the flash mobs at the event (in partnership with Circus Oz) 

• Weekly workshops during February and March 2017 with an estimated 90 students from Thornbury Primary School, Bannockburn Primary School and Sacred Heart School who then performed at the event (in partnership with Circus Oz) 

Turning ordinary moves into extraordinary heart-pumping action, Fun Run is Arts Centre Melbourne’s fourth project in the Betty Amsden Participation Program.

Arts Centre Melbourne Forecourt, Sunday 12 March 2017.

Winner: 2017 VicHealth Art Award. Nominated 2018 Green Room Award for Best Ensemble and Production.