If Gary Brown’s life is any measure, the answer is no, but you can do your best to atone for them.

It is why Mr Brown – an ex-prisoner recovering from an addiction to drugs – strongly believes in the power of redemption.

In August, he will take to the Barrington Tops for The Thunderbolt Trail Race, in what will be yet another marathon the Fassifern man has run since his release from prison, raising more than $10,000 for charity in about four years.

Kilometre by kilometre, his debt to society is being repaid.

“This is redemption,” Mr Brown said. “I used to take from the community, now I want to give back to the community.”

Mr Brown is candid when he speaks of his past – he had a crippling addiction to crystal methamphetamine.

And to finance his drug habit he turned to crime, including armed robbery. 

But he said he is proof someone can turn their life around.

While running affords him the medium to give back to the community, it also keeps his mind focused.

“Running is my medication,” Mr Brown said.

“It gives me self-esteem, it gives me energy. It’s like a drug, really, when you finish the race you get a big high.

“I’ll keep doing it because it keeps me on the straight and narrow.

“It stops me putting the wrong stuff in my body, like drugs and alcohol. I need to keep my mind and body active.”

Mr Brown has raised money for Ronald McDonald House, Soul Cafe and the Samaritans.

And he has is sights set on raising even more money, as well as giving talks in schools about the dangers of drugs and how to break free from a dangerous cycle.

He said drug addiction was a “big problem” that was getting worse.

“It can start from peer pressure, you start hanging around the wrong people, and then you end up in that cycle,” Mr Brown said. “There’s people that want to get out of that cycle, but they just don’t have the strength or information to do it.”

Mr Brown’s advice to those caught in the cycle was to reach out for help.

“Find your own way to break the cycle,” he said.

“Go and see a counsellor, join a group like the Samaritans, join a sports team.

“I bought a pair of runners and started running – do what works for you.

“It’s never too late to turn your life around.”

Gary Brown may not be able to run from the sins of his past, but he is shaping a new future – one step at a time.