MOUNT Martha resident and Cure Cancer fundraiser David Sutherland ran 10 kilometres on Sunday 15 October as part of the Melbourne Marathon Festival, and has already raised more than $2000, beating his $1500 target.
Originally from Hamilton, 69-year-old Sutherland grew up on a farm with a brother and sister and now, as a father of four and grandfather of four himself, understands the importance of family and friends.
Sadly, four important people in Sutherland’s life are now undergoing treatment for cancer, which is why he decided to raise money for Cure Cancer.
“Right now, one of my amazing nieces, Heidi, the dad of one of my youngest son’s best mates, Mikey, and two of my neighbours, Rowan and Gayle, are dealing with cancer,” he said.
“I’m endlessly inspired by their incredible courage. It just goes to show that anyone can get cancer. Anyone can have their life cut short by this horrible disease.”
Sutherland says it wasn’t difficult to complete the marathon, as he loves running.
“A great running mate actually encouraged me to sign up, and I am so very grateful he did. I discovered that I could run and fundraise for a fantastic cause at the same time, which became the real motivator. It’s giving me so much joy, knowing I’m running for people that I care about a lot.”
To stay in shape and be fit enough for the event Sutherland trained by running 10 kilometres twice a week. It helped that he knew what he was in for, having taken part in the run last year.
“It’s a massive event. Last year, I think there were more than 11,000 runners in the 10 kilometre race. It was exhilarating to be a part of it,” he said.
Once the race was over, it was back home to the peninsula for a tasty risotto and putting his feet up to watch a movie.
Last year, the money raised by Cure Cancer supporters in the Melbourne Marathon went to Melbourne-based cancer researcher Dr Eric Kusnadi, who is developing new drugs to treat advanced prostate cancer.
