‘Running into my 80s’: the men’s health advocate playing the long game

For 56-year-old father of three Richard Deutsch, the mental reboot that exercise provides is as meaningful as its physical benefits. Most days, he’s out the door by 6am, either to go for a five to 10-kilometre run – his “meditation on the move” – or for a two-hour walk with Angela, his wife of 33 years, and kelpie crosses George and Benny.

Movember chair Richard Deutsch is out the door for his exercising most days by 6am.

To those who marvel at the discipline involved, his rationale is simple: “I’ve found, over the years, that you can control what happens first thing in the morning. You can’t always control the rest of the day.”

Running, which Deutsch does without headphones, is now an ingrained practice in his life which has provided him with a coping mechanism through life’s difficulties, including career challenges, family illness and death. “You can’t get to your mid- to late 50s and not have bad stuff happen,” he says. “Exercise – running, in particular – has been a constant throughout all of that, and given me some of my closest relationships.”

For the one-time 800m and 1500m winner at the Australian Junior Athletics Championships, exercise used to be about a sense of achievement. Then, as a young dad, maintaining a certain fitness level that would enable him to kick a soccer ball or go body-boarding at the beach became the impetus. Now it’s about staying mentally and physically fit. “One of my mates at Parkrun [which organises free, weekly, timed five-kilometre events all over the country] is a guy called Ted. He’s nearly 80. My goal now is to be just like him – running into my 80s.”

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