Runners in the family: Hudsons gather for Port Macquarie festival

The Tamworth resident manages The Pub Bottleshop during the week, but in his downtime maintains a fervor for running which began when he was a teenager.

After taking some time off as a young adult to focus on work and family, Hudson rediscovered his love of the sport roughly five years ago after entering in the festival for the first time.

"We found this event and gave it a go," Hudson said.

"We used it as a holiday, then got in to parkrun as well ... the last couple of years we've just tried to get back into it. I'm not getting any younger, so I try to stay fit and healthy."

While Hudson will run in the dreaded treble - made up of a half marathon, a 10 kilometre fun run, and a five kilometre fun run - his wife, Alison, and their children, Amber, Braith, Jake, and Chelsea will run the latter event.

The family uses the festival as an opportunity to bond, and although the kids might not share his passion for running, they do at least enjoy it.

"The big fella [Braith], we've usually got to drag him to it, but once he's there, he quite enjoys it," Hudson said.

"They quite enjoy it on the day ... and the little fella [Jake] likes to get into it a fair bit. They don't do as much as I try to do, but they enjoy it too and it's a good excuse to get together and aim for something."

Without any specialist equipment or training, running is one of the most accessible sports in the world. However, Hudson said his family make a point of returning to Port Macquarie each year because it is so well-run.

"It's a really good event, it's well-organised," he said.

"I really like Port Macquarie, it's kind of like Tamworth but it has nice beaches, and it has a good, friendly atmosphere. It's a pretty big event in Australia, but you wouldn't know it if you were in it because you don't have to be a serious runner."

The benefits of running have been numerous for Hudson, who, at 40 years old, enjoys the opportunity to keep fit while simultaneously expanding his social circle, but his competitive edge remains alive and well.

"I'd certainly like to complete it without walking this year," Hudson said.

"I've been doing a lot of hill running, so hopefully I can get a PB. I'd like to break four hours, but we'll see how we go on the day."

The Port Macquarie Running Festival will take place this weekend, across March 6 and 7. Now in its 11^th year, the festival is expecting roughly 2,500 competitors to take part across both days.

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