How participants raised over $1 million for charity in the city’s biggest winter festival
Tess Baird, 16, found running a half marathon easy compared to her previous challenges, although she slept through her alarm before rushing to brave the 6.30am winter start time.
Baird was first diagnosed with leukemia when he was six, and although the disease went into remission, he battled the blood cancer again when it returned four years ago.
Baird overcame the disease after undergoing a bone marrow transplant and was determined to be on the starting line of Sunday’s Run Melbourne and raise more than $15,000 for the Leukemia Foundation in the process.
“I have always loved running and wanted to challenge myself, but I also wanted to raise funds for the Leukemia Foundation, which is a cause close to my heart as I experienced it twice in my youth,” Baird said.
Although sleeping past the alarm posed an extra challenge, Baird completed the Run Melbourne 21-kilometer race in two hours and seven minutes – a much better time than he expected.
It joined more than 28,000 participants running in the half-marathon, 10-kilometer or 5.5-kilometer races on Sunday.
Paralympic gold medalist Alexa Leary completed the 10-kilometer run with her friend Michaela and enjoyed the festival atmosphere by dancing with people playing bongos along the route.
“My biggest thing is, I love moving for those who can’t. So that’s actually a big thing with me running because I couldn’t move for a long time and now I can,” Leary said.
In addition to reaching their own milestones, Sunday’s runners raised more than $1 million for more than 400 charities, according to Run Melbourne organizer and Sole Motive CEO Lisa Holmes.
“It’s been the biggest winter running festival in Melbourne for years and it’s also huge in terms of fundraising,” Holmes said.
Two days after celebrating her 70th birthday, teacher Martina Golding joined her daughters Hannah and Sarah to complete the half marathon.
“It was very special, I felt a great sense of accomplishment and it was great to share it with my daughters,” Martina said.
Tuitiga Leota and her sister, Grace, also ran the half marathon together with the support of 11 family members, raising almost $1,000 for Beyond Blue.
“HE [Grace] Tuitiga Leota said: “The first 15 kilometers were easy, but then I struggled… the experience was really nice.”
Mayor Nick Reece, who ran 5.5 kilometers with his family and Melbourne councilors Gladys Liu and Andrew Rouse, said the event covered Melbourne’s landmarks, from Flinders Street Station and Docklands to the Yarra River and Tan.
“This is a great opportunity for people to see some of Melbourne’s most beautiful, picturesque places from a perspective they wouldn’t normally see, while having fun, keeping fit and living their best lives,” he said.
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