2020 Mobart Flanno 5K

Standing in the living room of our apartment, local runner Nathan Morey frantically debates whether to cut the sleeves off his flanny...

It's thirty-plus degrees in Hobart, as he and a group of fellow punters prepare for the first "Mobart" Flanno 5km event.

While his decision to trim the sleeves left him looking more a rural farm worker than an elite runner, upon arriving at T-Bone Brewery it was clear that looks didn't matter here.

Organised by Andy Allison (with help from the incredible Chris), the Flanno 5K started as a small scale run to tap into the worthy Movember campaign, derived from his own experience with mental health and some down time from running.

Although never before held in Hobart, once word got out of the event, it grew quickly.

We recently caught up with Andy to hear the background behind the spectacle that overtook the streets, trails and laneways of Mobart last week...

"My connection to the Flanno 5k stems through being mates with the crew at Hunter Athletics, but specifically started when Kizz (Kieran Ryan) sent me this in the mail a week or so before the event."

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"There was no note attached, no obligation, no demand..."

"Kizz knew what sort of state my mental health was in at the time so there wasn’t any expectation that I would have to do anything with it, it was more an invite (which I’ve been invited to every year since it began)."

"But then I thought, maybe a little project could be helpful for me or at least challenge me in a way that made me uncomfortable which is what Movember is all about. Putting yourself out there to help others."

"As the Point2Pinnacle had been forced into a virtual event this year, I knew a lot of Hunters and Mobart Mo Bros we’re going to miss out on a running event and an opportunity to come together and talk, celebrate and share the Movember message."

"I contacted T-Bone on the phone (as they always held the P2P after party) as I thought it might be a nice way for them as a local business to be involved and we could potentially help inject a bit of cash into their business as well. I decided to move it the Wednesday night (so as not to interrupt their normal Thursday trade) and that got me thinking I could potentially “recruit” some other run groups."

"I reached out to the Running Edge, the Knock Offs Run Club and enlisted the help of Chris at Hobart Performance who created the amazing posters and maps we used."

"He has a design background and was so happy to be involved and I let him run with this. We wanted to make a run that was challenging, but inclusive and safe (and turns out we could stop and take a ripping photo halfway).

"Everyday day I just kept spreading the word and the message of Movember and the Flanno 5k run and the enthusiasm seemed infectious."

"We were humbled with a huge turn out on the night and greater awareness of why we Mo in Movember was raised."

"I guess I wanted to get this done (even though at times it wasn’t great for my own mental health) but I understood the importance of bringing people together and wanted to really walk the walk this year rather than just putting up silly pictures of me in a Mo everyday on Instagram."

"I also wanted to honour Kizz, Wolffy and Sarge from Hunter AR as they have been such great friends and supporters of mine and due to COVID-19 restrictions they weren’t able to put on their own Flanno 5k in the same way this year."

"So I guess it was an ode to them, a tip of the hat from Mobart to say thanks for your love and support."

"I believe this event will only grow bigger in Hobart. I have already had a number of ideas on how to make it even more inclusive, more enjoyable and more impactful."

"I hope this helps you understand a bit more about the what and the why. Running is more than just running, it is a community and Hunter AR lead from the front in that regard."

"All the crew that rocked up to the event are also really appreciative of the work that The Tassie Athlete does in helping to promote all sports, from grass roots events like the Flanno Run to sharing the stories of Olympians - it's awesome."

Thanks for the kind words, Andy.

You can check out our highlights gallery from the event below. If you're after some photos in a higher resolution, get in touch via dominic@thetassieathlete.com.au.

Photography by @dommagramm