General News
4 October, 2023
A marathon charity effort
A GROUP of men from the south west are preparing to embark on a 950-kilometre run in hopes of helping to cure a rare degenerative disease.
A GROUP of men from the south west are preparing to embark on a 950-kilometre run in hopes of helping to cure a rare degenerative disease.
The Run 4 CJD 2023 marathon will see 11 runners pounding the pavement from Parliament house in Canberra all the way to Warrnambool from this weekend.
The group hopes to traverse the landscape between Saturday, October 7 through to October 14 – along the way raising vital funds to help those living with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).
CJD is an aggressive neurological degenerative disease which causes the brain to become spongy, rapidly leading to dementia and death within the space of one year from the onset of symptoms.
There is no known cure for CJD, which impacts one to two Australians per million.
Among those running will be Jack Kenna from The Sisters, who was inspired to take part in the run after losing his brother, Jimmy, to the disease in January 2022.
He acknowledged it was one of the most difficult things he had experienced, as the nature of the disease stripped him of the opportunity to properly say goodbye to his brother.
“I couldn’t sit beside his bed and have a conversation,” Mr Kenna said.
“It’s one of those diseases in which there are too many questions and not enough answers.
“If you lose a loved one to something likecancer there is always a chance of holding their hand, with this you don’t have a chance.
“You grieve a fair while before the death.”
Mr Kenna will be joined by 10 other runners including Wannon MP Dan Tehan, who lost both his mother and aunt to CJD.
“Everyone running has felt the impact of the disease, either through losing friends or family, he said.
“My nephew James is running because he lost his father.
“The people that could do it wanted to, and we are all happy to be involved.
“It is something to look forward to despite the heartbreak behind why we’re doing it.”
An online fundraiser launched for the event has surpassed $22,000, with all proceeds being used to help with research and clinical trials for potential cures.
Mr Kenna thanked everyone who had chipped in to raise the “gigantic” amount of funds.
“Everyone has tragedy and triumph, and we know there are a lot of causes out there that are so worthy of support,” he said.
“To have got the support we’ve got is unbelievable.”
“It just tugs at the heart strings to see the generosity of people.”
The fundraiser has received widespread support from the community, including Terang and Mortlake Football Netball Club donating its gate takings from the club’s August showdown against the Hamilton Kangaroos.
If you would like to donate to the fundraiser visit https://gofund.me/303100ed.
