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NEW YORK -- A dozen young Australian runners from indigenous tribes once targeted for genocide had a different marathon goal: The finish line is just a start for us.So said Robert de Castella, a onetime top marathoner who trained them for Sundays New York City Marathon.Running a marathon for their first time, the runners will need their new physical and mental prowess to return home and tackle the life-threatening problems of their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, he said. Generations of abuse at the hands of European colonizers have left many indigenous Australians with a 20-year life expectancy gap due to addictions, mental health illnesses and other diseases, plus heightened suicide and incarceration rates, said de Castella.The 12 Australians -- representing their countrys indigenous population of almost 1 million, or 3 percent -- were raising funds for the Indigenous Marathon Foundation that de Castella started about six years ago.When I saw firsthand what was happening, I was ashamed of our country -- and I also saw the opportunity to use the power of running, de Castella said.The Australians were among a field of about 20,000 foreigners from more than 120 nations running the 2016 race dominated by foreign winners. Mary Keitany, of Kenya, and Ghirmay Ghebreslassie, of Eritrea, won this years race.One proud Frenchman, who had run the Paris race in the past, conceded that he preferred New York.New York is more magical, said Vincent Dogniaux. You feel more support from the crowd here. Its bigger, livelier and more emotional.Seydou Kane, of Niger, said he was so proud to be representing his west African country. He said he didnt think twice about running his first New York marathon instead of another big urban one.Of course, cmon! Iconic, this is the city that never sleeps, he said. The crowd, the stamina -- one of the runs thats a must-do and thats it.As the first three of de Castellas fierce runners wrapped up Sundays race, he concluded: The harder something is, the better, because you need to have a purpose to do incredible things.De Castella brings a new team to New York each year, after each member competes for a slot.I live in a place where poor health killing people is the norm, says Zideon Fielding, 22, a health worker from a community of 300 in the Australian desert. I thought if I tried the marathon approach, I could create change, with drive and persistence.Megan Highfold, an Aboriginal attorney, said shes the daughter of a man who was forcibly adopted by a white family to wipe out his heritage.I want to use my marathon skills to help people make changes, to manage mental health in a good way, she said. Its all about now. Michy Batshuayi Jersey . The defence is doing its part, too. Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. Thibaut Courtois Jersey . Traditional contenders Brazil, Greece and Turkey drew the other three spots to complete the 24-team field for this summers tournament in Spain, basketball governing body FIBA announced Saturday at its meeting in Barcelona. http://www.belgiumsoccerpro.com/Dries-Mertens-Belgium-Jersey/ .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. Toby Alderweireld Belgium Jersey . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. Thomas Meunier Jersey . A forerunning sled crashed into the worker Thursday at the Sanki Sliding Center. The unidentified worker broke both legs and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. ESPN senior writer Mike Sando asks league insiders to pick winners in selected games each week. Three evaluators took the challenge in Week 15. The games on the docket: Titans-Chiefs, Lions-Giants, Colts-Vikings, Patriots-Broncos and Buccaneers-Cowboys.Tennessee Titans at Kansas City ChiefsSunday:?1 p.m. ET, CBS |?Point spread: KC?by 5.5 | PickCenterAll three insiders took the Chiefs to win at home, even though another team with a rising young quarterback -- Tampa Bay with Jameis Winston in Week 11 -- recently won at AArrowhead Stadium.dddddddddddd The Titans Marcus Mariota takes his shot Sunday, backed by a formidable ground game.I dont know if Mariota is ready to go into Kansas City and win yet, one of the insiders said. I think they are on the verge of being a good offense, and their offensive coordinator does a good job calling plays, but I dont think they are there quite yet, to go in there and win. ' ' '