Sport
29 August, 2025
Local resident Ashley Curtis commences his personal running journey with CPTSD
“From where I’ve been, which has been stuck at home unable to go out the front door for years, to then once my dog came along, to be able to even compete would have been enough.”
For the majority of his life, Maryborough local Ashley Curtis enjoyed an active lifestyle.
As a triathlete, competitive road cyclist and part-owner of cycle racing team Hit Racing, aimed at furthering promising women and junior careers onto the international stage, Ashley enjoyed all the social and physical benefits of regular exercise.
Then suddenly, in 2012, Ashley’s life fell apart.
Ashley has complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), usually associated with prolonged, repeated trauma, often occurring in childhood.
For years, Ashley didn’t leave his own home and now requires his assistance dog, Marlii, who comes from Melbourne-based company Dogs For Life, whenever he goes outside.
Coupled with other symptoms like memory loss, it’s been an arduous task for Ashley to adjust, as his partner, Rowena Gribble, explained.
“Everyone complained about isolation during COVID, but that was Ashley’s life,” she said.
“He couldn’t access any services, everything we take for granted, Ashley couldn’t do.”
Determined not to let his CPTSD define him, Ashley strived to return to physical activity.
After years of maintaining his fitness with a Wahoo Kickr indoor bike, Ashley was desperate for a new challenge and decided to take up running in March 2024.
“It was actually a way to try and meet people and be part of something. I’m not part of anything else,” Ashley said.
“I have no off button — so I did lots of indoor training to try and learn how to run.
“The pain is a nice pain, it’s the endorphins that get released into your body, especially afterwards is a great feeling.
“I want to make some new memories that I’ve got, and the only way to do that is to run hard.”
After working through several injuries, the 61-year-old entered his first competitive race in March, registering for the 5000 meters at the 2025 Victorian Masters Track and Field Championships in Doncaster.
It was a massive step into the unknown for Ashley, completely unsure of what might happen.
“The running is actually quite easy, it’s the other challenges that are harder,” he said.
“The world is not set up for people with disabilities. Having a disability is difficult on its own, but then you have to navigate through, which makes everything so much harder.
“Mental health doesn’t fit into Para (Athletics), but it doesn’t fit into able-bodied either, we have to try and negotiate it.
“It was the first time that I had ever run against anybody — I was full of anxiety.
“It was very much the unknown, I like to have everything predictable, so I know what I am doing. From a PTSD point of view, I try to have my environment predictable.”
Even with all the hurdles he had to clear to compete, Ashley defied all expectations, winning the race with a time of 18:45.
Ashley said he was full of emotion when he crossed the finish line, not because of his blistering time, which set the then age-group season world record, but knowing he could once again enjoy physical competition.
“I cried, there were a lot of people in the background who supported me to be able to get there that day,” he said.
“I have a clinical psychologist, Rowena, an occupational therapist, physiotherapists and coaches. It was very much a way to say thank you to everybody.
“I didn’t know I could run, my watch was telling me I was doing these times, and I was checking online what the good times were, and I thought my watch had to be out.
“It’s really good to compete against your peers, people the same age, everybody has to train and go through injuries.”
Ashley followed it up with a strong performance at the Victorian Masters 30+ 10,000 m Track Championships at Cranbourne in late June, finishing in 38:27.
Having to figure out how to allow Ashley to compete on the fly, Rowena said she’s been incredibly grateful for the shows of support.
“It can be tricky, especially the first one, we were like, what do we do because there is no guideline, there is no book that says this is how you do it,” she said.
“I have to stay on the infield or the outfield with Marlii so that he’s got that visual and he knows exactly where she is.
“They have been fantastic with the two races we have gone to so far, the support from Athletics Victoria has been amazing in supporting not only Ashley but myself.”
With the unknown successfully overcome, Ashley is preparing to travel to Brisbane to compete in the upcoming Oceania Masters Athletics Championships 5000 m, held from September 6-10.
He also has his sights set on October’s Australian Masters Games in Canberra and next year’s Australian Masters Athletics Championships, also in Canberra.
While challenges remain, Ashley said he’s optimistic for what his running journey has in store.
“I’m really looking forward to the Oceanics, my coach wants me to break the Oceanic record,” he said.
“Because I have no off button, in the 10 km, I beat my first 5 km time by 45 seconds, but then of course I had to finish the other 5 km.
“Based on that first 5 km, she is hoping that I can break my age group’s masters record for Oceania.”