Buddy Franklin and Johnathan Thurston team up for most meaningful challenge yet

Lance "Buddy" Franklin and Johnathan "JT" Thurston have conquered the sporting field.

Now they're taking on what could be their most meaningful test yet. 

The pair are both ambassadors for the Indigenous Marathon Foundation. 

Each year, 12 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are hand-picked from across Australia for one tough challenge. 

"There's a 10 kilometre fun run at the start of the year, Sunny Coast half, Gold Coast half and we had to do 30-kilometre in Alice Springs," Thurston said.

The New York City Marathon is the final test, which is 42 kilometres through the Big Apple. 

Most have never run a marathon before but over months of training they have come together to learn fitness and leadership.

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