Christine Griffiths: Official Site

From The Melbourne Yarra Leader - 30th November, 2005

RUNNING
SAM MORLEY

RECURRING health problems from a bone marrow transplant 18 years ago and the training regime of an elite athlete means that Christine Griffiths has to be tough.

But Griffiths, who lives and works in North Melbourne as a helper at the Bone Marrow Donor Institute, couldn’t imagine a different life.

“Running and sport has been my life for over 30 years. I guess I’m just a pig-headed and stubborn person,” she said.

Griffiths, 56 - a Melbourne Leader Sports Star nominee - recently competed at 2005 World Transplant Games in Canada, finishing fifth both in the 3000m road race and road walk.

She also competed in the super seniors’ category for table tennis, winning gold in the doubles and bronze in the singles.

But Griffiths’ hardest battle has been her health, with problems continually interfering with her training and lifestyle.

“I have to take 31 tablets a day,” she said.

“I’m continually getting sick and getting well. In my training I’ve always got to find a happy medium.”

“I got sick before these games and I couldn’t believe it. But I said ’stuff it all, I’m still going to go’.”

Griffiths received a bone marrow transplant in 1988, just one year before she set the world record for the 3000m track run in the 1989 World Transplant Games.

Since then she has competed in four games, claimed 12 international medals and more than 100 Australian title medals.

Griffiths has also been chosen as one of eight Australians to carry the Olympic torch at the Winter Olympics in Italy in January.

“The awards aren’t important to me, but the competing is,” she says.

“Competetion has kept me alive, it has given me a focus in my life because it didn’t matter how sick I was, I would always go out and run.”

Griffiths is unsure about whether she will compete at the 2007 World Transplant games in Thailand.

“I’ll take life as it comes, there are a lot of hard blows, but it doesn’t bother me because I’m a person who’s always on the go,” she said.