A GEELONG trail runner will run his twelfth marathon in 12 months on Saturday, 16 October to raise funds for vital cancer research.
Kim Mazaraki will again be testing his limits to raise money for a cure for cancer after his mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2020 and he lost a close friend to bile duct cancer in 2019.
Mr Mazaraki says he has always liked to push his limits.
“For me, this is an enormous challenge,” he said.
“Personal challenges, like completing 12 marathons in 12 months, really tests your mental and physical resilience because it’s just you.
“There’s no-one counting on you; there’s no race, no medal.
“I’m not a great runner by any stretch of the imagination.
“I’m not running super-fast times.
“I’m just getting out there and giving it a go to support a worthwhile cause.”
Mr Mazaraki’s gruelling journey began in November last year when he ran 42.2 kilometres from Fairhaven to Torquay.
Next up he trekked the gruelling Brisbane Ranges and ran energy-sapping routes from Aireys Inlet to Anglesea and then back again.
He sprinted past beautiful waterfalls in the Great Otway National Park as well as the sandy tracks of the beaches along the Surf Coast.
The last marathon in September was a 45-kilometre quest through the hills just behind Anglesea.
For his twelfth and final marathon, Mr Mazaraki plans to run a leg-crunching route in the Wombat State Forest and Lerderderg State Park this Saturday.
So far he has achieved $4500 of his $5000 goal to support Cancer Council’s vital cancer research, prevention, and support services.
Ms Lyrian Fleming-Parsley, head of fundraising and communication at Cancer Council Victoria, said Kim’s marathon efforts are incredibly inspiring and will go a long way to help fund Cancer Council’s vital work.
“Every step Kim takes will make a huge difference to the 98 Victorians who are diagnosed with cancer every day, she said.
“The funds he has raised will help us continue our work towards a cancer-free future.
“We’ll be cheering him on every step of the way.”
Mr Mazaraki’s mother, who is now in remission, had cancer of an unknown origin manifest in her neck last year.
“She was very lucky in that she could have surgery and that they could remove all of the manifestations,” Mr Mazaraki said.
“She’s been good for almost 12 months now.
Mr Mazaraki also lost a 48-year-old close friend who was an excellent athlete, triathlete and runner to bile duct cancer in 2019.
“Unfortunately, as fit and healthy as he was there was nothing that could be done,” Mr Mazaraki said.
“Some time ago my father-in-law passed away from a brain tumour and he was only 56.
“Everyone gets touched by cancer.”
You can help make a donation here: https://fundraising.cancervic.org.au/fundraisers/kimmazaraki/marathon-a-month
Ryan Fritz
Ryan Fritz started The Advocate in 2014 to provide not-for-profits and charities another media platform to tell their worthwhile hard news stories and opinion pieces effortlessly. In 2020, Ryan formed a team of volunteer journalists to help spread even more high-quality stories from the third sector. He also has over 10 years experience as a media and communications professional for not-for-profits and charities and currently works at Redkite, a childhood cancer charity.
