Fund-raising volunteers &133 (clockwise from top left) Gill Stapleton, Helen Carmody and Siobhan Macken.Photo: James Alcock TODAY’S Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon will be
the first one since the death of champion runner Kerryn McCann, but scores of volunteers will be there to ensure her legacy lives on. McCann, a four-time winner of the event, Commonwealth gold medalist and mother of three, died in December last year from breast cancer. This year, competitors have raised money for the Breast Cancer Network of Australia, an organisation that has helped thousands of women like McCann cope with the disease. Network volunteers Helen Carmody, 49, and Gill Stapleton, 48, conquered the 21.1-kilometre race last year, but will be supporting from the sidelines this morning. They have recently returned from running the Paris Marathon in aid of the organisation. “Two years ago we weren’t runners, so we’ve gone from nothing to a marathon,” Stapleton said.
“It’s the most amazing experience, to cross that line.” So far the 10,000 competitors in the race have raised more than $25,000 for the charity.