Otago students, from left, Caitlin Rawlings, Phoebe Allen, Charlotte Ram, Katie Booth and Jaime Hanrahan ran the Southern Lakes Half Marathon in Wanaka this month as part of their Running for Alice campaign to raise money for the Breast Cancer Foundation.
Five third-year Otago students went the distance this month in the name of a very worthy cause.
The tauira, who’ve been friends since attending Auckland's Westlake Girls together, ran the Southern Lakes half marathon in Wanaka to raise money for the Breast Cancer Foundation, in honour of their close friend’s mother, Alice, who passed away recently.
Raising money for the “Running for Alice” Givealittle page are Charlotte Ram (Bachelor of Science majoring in Exercise and Sport Science minoring in Sport Nutrition), Phoebe Allen (Bachelor of Science double majoring in Exercise and Sport Science and Psychology), Katie Booth (Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Economics), Caitlin Rawlings (Bachelor of Science majoring in Sports Development and Management and Minoring in Marketing) and Jaime Hanrahan (Bachelor of Dental Surgery).
Charlotte, who is the administrator for the page, says Alice was, and still is, a significant influence in their lives.
“We wanted to raise as much money in her name as possible leading up to the half marathon in Wanaka. Alice was our motivation to keep training for the marathon and run it for such a good cause. Her resilience and unbreakable spirit have given us the strength to effect change.”
So far, the group has raised $11,100.
“Alice's husband, who we are close to and who came down to Wanaka to support our run, also decided to match every dollar donated, as this is obviously very important to him.”
The team was focused more on fundraising and being there for each other than they were on the result of the race, Charlotte says.
“We’ve all known each other for so long and are all like sisters so it was really cool that we did come together to do something like this. We all had lots more fun running it than we thought we would, and it didn't end up being that scary. It was super emotional for all of us, but all our parents and friends were there to make it full of love.
“We’re very proud of our efforts. Fundraising for a cause that is important to you is really fulfilling. I 100 per cent recommend it.”
Running for Alice
The Running for Alice Givealittle page will close on 15 May.
Jaime, Caitlin, Phoebe, Katie and Charlotte have so far raised more than $11,000 in honour of their friend’s mother who recently passed away.