Stephen James "Steve" Moneghetti, (born 26 September 1962), is an Australian long-distance

runner Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

and physical health consultant, represented Australia on many occasions. Moneghetti has a degree in civil engineering, a graduate diploma in education and an honorary doctorate from the

University of Ballarat The University of Ballarat, Australia was a dual-sector university with multiple campuses in Victoria, Australia, including its main Ballarat campus, Melbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide that were authorized by the university to provide diploma, unde ...

. He is a personal development consultant with the Ministry of Education and chair of the Victorian Review into Physical and Sport Education in Schools. Moneghetti was born in

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, and was not considered to be a good runner in primary school. When he attempted to join

Little Athletics Little Athletics is an Australian activity program that involves modified athletics events for children aged 3 to 16 in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Northern Territory); 3 ...

, his father was told that Moneghetti was not wanted. However, by high school (

St Patrick's College, Ballarat , motto_translation = To Do and To Teach , city = Ballarat , state = Victoria , country = Australia , coordinates = , type = Independent second ...

) he had developed into an excellent endurance athlete and was well on his way to becoming one of Australia's greatest marathon runners. He is married to Tanya Moneghetti and they have four children Emma, Laura, Matthew and Olivia. He started out as a 10,000 metre runner and finished fifth in that event at the

1986 Commonwealth Games The 1986 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a 'Cho-fhlaitheis 1986) were held in Edinburgh, Scotland, between 24 July and 2 August 1986. They were the second Games to be held in Edinburgh. Thirty two of the eligible fifty nine countries (largel ...

. He ran his first

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

at the same meet winning the bronze medal. His first marathon victory was in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

in 1990 in the time of 2:08:16, coming only a couple of weeks after winning the

Great North Run The Great North Run (branded the Simplyhealth Great North Run for sponsorship purposes) is the largest half marathon in the world, taking place annually in North East England each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and Sou ...

in 1:00:34. In 1991 he set the course record of 40:03 for Sydney's iconic 14 km City 2 Surf, which still stands. In 1994 he won the

Tokyo Marathon The is an annual marathon sporting event in Tokyo, the capital of Japan. It is a World Athletics Platinum Label marathon and one of the six World Marathon Majors. The latest edition of the race took place on . It is sponsored by Tokyo Metro. H ...

and the marathon at the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

. He came 3rd in the 1997 World Championships marathon race. He has also competed in the marathon at four Olympic Games; 1988 in Seoul, 1992 in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, 1996 in Atlanta and 2000 in Sydney. His best performance in the Olympics was 5th place at Seoul in 1988. Moneghetti's last race representing Australia was the Sydney 2000 Olympic Marathon. After meeting trouble in the middle of the race he recovered to finish 10th. In the interview after the race, he thanked Australia for its support during his long career. Moneghetti continued to race for fun in other events in Australia such as the City to Surf and Sydney and Melbourne Marathons on an infrequent basis. He is the only male to have won the Sydney City to Surf four times in succession (1988– 1991). On 25 July 2010, Moneghetti won the Park2Park 10 km race at Ipswich in Queensland, finishing with a race record time of 32:18. In 2014, he competed in the Oceania Masters Athletics Cross Country Championships hosted in Bendigo. Moneghetti won the event, against strong competition from the likes of future U50 masters world champion Michael Wray. He lit the cauldron in his hometown of Ballarat to celebrate the

Sydney 2000 Olympic Games The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

. He was the Mayor of the Commonwealth Games Village at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006. In 2010 he was named as the Australian team's ''

chef de mission In diplomatic usage, head of mission (HOM) or chief of mission (COM) from the French "chef de mission diplomatique" (CMD) is the head of a diplomatic representation, such as an ambassador, high commissioner, nuncio, chargé d'affaires, perman ...

'' for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. In 2014 he was nominated for an Order of Australia medal and was quoted to say 'Not bad for not winning an Olympic gold a
Athens athletics
. On 24. September 2017 he finished the 44th Berlin Marathon in the time of 3:27:30. In 2021, he was inducted into Sport Australia Hall of Fame as a general member. Moneghetti's heritage can be traced to the Swiss Italians of Australia.

Media

Moneghetti appears in a feature film titled ''

Reverse Runner ''Reverse Runner'' (sometimes stylized as ''Яeverse Яunner'') is an Australian comedy film written and directed by Lachlan Ryan and Jarrod Theodore, executive produced by Stephen Herek. It stars Dan Cannon, Dave Callan, Steve Moneghetti, Ros ...

''. He plays the fictional character of John Johns, a retired champion at the 100 meter backwards sprint. The film is a sporting comedy which also features a cameo from

Bruce McAvaney Bruce William McAvaney OAM (born 22 June 1953) is an Australian sports broadcaster with the Seven Network. McAvaney has presented high-profile events including the AFL Grand Final, Melbourne Cup, Australian Open, Test cricket and both Winter a ...

References