Jyedn 'Jye' Murray is close to doing what many would never contemplate: Running the New York City Marathon.

The Wiradjuri-Ngemba man and APA physiotherapist needs a good performance at the upcoming Alice Springs 30 kilometre 'night' run, and, coupled with some luck with injuries and a steady gym routine, will be on the plane to the Big Apple.

His participation in the Indigenous Marathon Project (IMP), founded by former marathon runner Robert de Castella, has allowed him the opportunity, but it's one which he fell into by chance, with an ex-coach of the squad on his physio table.

"We had a bit of a yarn, and he sort of explained to me what the program was all about and asked me if I wanted to come and get involved; just in a physio capacity to help them out," Mr Murray said.

He said from the get-go, this was a program more than just about running.

"I could see what it meant to these runners, their personal growth, and the personal journeys that they went through," Mr Murray said.

He noted the overall message of the IMP was about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to "live healthier lives and to realise that the cards you dealt in life aren't the cards that you [are] sort of stuck with".

But Mr Murray is far more than just a runner. He is trying to help Indigenous health outcomes in his own unique one - through social media.

His online persona, The Koorie Physio, is his "two-pronged approach" to improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare.

"The first point I am trying to drive home is just educating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people [on] the reasons why we're sort of in the predicament that we're in," he said.

"The health situation…facing the burden of diseases that we do and still dying on average, 10 years less than non-Indigenous people.

"I want people to be aware of why that is; because it's not just poor health choices, and it's not just poor health literacy. There's a lot of complex things that make up the reason why we're in that situation, and we need to be aware of that to map better pathways forward."

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The second point is moving away from any predetermined pathway young First Nations children think they are on when it comes to health.

"I want to sort of make it very obvious to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that just because these cards [have] been dealt [to] you, you don't have to live by them," Mr Murray said. "You can live healthier lifestyles."

"And we do have a lot of amazing things within our culture that actually promote healthier lifestyles, so making them aware of things like the benefits of connection to country, reclaiming language, practising traditional bush medicines and healing practices, traditional diets, continuing to express culture, and all the positive impacts on health and well-being that that has, and then finding a way to incorporate that into everyday life."

The physiotherapist, who grew up on Wiradjuri Country in Cowra, but now lives on Ngunnawal country in Canberra, said it wasn't about telling anyone what to do.

Rather, it was about showing people - especially younger people who access social media - that the statistics, which often show First Nations people disproportionately represented in diseases and early mortality, isn't a preordained destiny.

"We present people with the evidence and what has worked for us in the past, and then ultimately it's up to them," he said, likening the Koorie Physio to the work he does as a physiotherapist.

"Plenty of our people and our mob just have not had the right information, so they don't know otherwise…they don't know any other way.

"So, I'm trying to present them the alternate pathway forward."

Noting how much a focus on western health has failed First Nations people, Mr Murray argued it was about "bringing our own cultural values and our own traditional practices into the approach to things like healthcare and education and the justice system".

His social media account is doing this, bringing positive messages about health and better outcomes, in the hope of bettering peoples' lives — one liked post at a time.