After the shift from the city, Forrest immediately saw untapped potential for Bendigo to become a regional hub for long-distance runners.

"When I arrived I knew straight away this is a place unlike any other I have seen in Australia," Forrest said.

"With the potential to create one of the healthiest regions, I see Bendigo as a world-class facility to facilitate the next generation of great distance runners in Australia."

Based on Bendigo's endless bush trails, football ovals and general love for sport, Forrest plans to build up the region into a mecca for long-distance running.

And the first step will be tapping into the grassroot level across all sport disciplines.

"It's important to get juniors involved to learn about running and how it can also benefit their performance in other sports," Forrest said.

"I want to show that uniting can bring great, positive change and impact the lives of many young, mature, and everyone in-between from all walks of life to strive higher through exercise, self-belief, and application."

Forrest's vision has been praised by renowned Bendigo-raised long-distance athlete Andy Buchanan who has first-hand seen the growth of running within the region.

"When I started with Bendigo University Athletics Club years ago there were only four kids doing the weekly 1km run, my sister and I and two brothers from another family," he said.

"But now there's around 40 kids involved each week."

However, Buchanan who is an Advanced Development Program coach at Bendigo South East College, said the challenge was keeping kids engaged with running.

"But there definitely has been an improvement in growth in the number of kids who are continuing to run," he said.

"There's plenty of depth with athletes at both the bottom and top end and I'm really excited with the direction everything is going."

In terms of direction and guidance for newcomers, Forrest and Buchanan are more than happy to share their insight and experience with athletes interested in taking up the sport.

More importantly, the pair want to share their passion for running with the rest of the community.

"Running represents freedom," Forrest said.

"It provides a moment where everything else in life gets put aside and then dissolves away.

"Whether you're by yourself or running with someone, you're out breathing oxygen and free to go anywhere you want.

"Please stay tuned, as, in four weeks' time, I will have an update on the future of Bendigo's upward swing to be on the map, not just as a dot but as an x-factor."

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