Oli's Army runs the Great Ocean Road Half Marathon

29 June 2023

“Oli was my motivation to run, to run fast and fundraise”, says Sophie, who recently competed in the Great Ocean Road Half Marathon.

Sophie and fellow runners Limy, Hannah and Jules took on the challenge as proud members of Oli’s Army.

Our friend Oli is currently dealing with a rare type of bowel cancer, and he and his wife established Oli’s Army to raise money for Peter Mac.

While Oli undergoes treatment for metastatic bowel cancer at Peter Mac, Oli’s community have rallied around him, with friends and loved ones participating in a variety of fundraising events.

After six gruelling months of training for the half marathon, including countless weekend runs and conditioning classes, and lots and lots of protein and electrolytes, Sophie and the team raised an incredible $7,000 for Oli’s Army.

Every dollar raised supports life-saving cancer research at Peter Mac. The clinical trial Oli is on was only made available to bowel cancer patients thanks to cancer research led by his amazing oncologist, A/Prof Jeanne Tie. A/Prof Tie leads both the GI (gastrointestinal) team at Peter Mac, and a large research team at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.

“For those fundraising, I think it’s really important to spread the word about why you are raising money and what for”, says Sophie.

Throughout our fundraising journey we came across people who are dealing with and who have been affected by cancer so it’s also important to be aware of those who may feel vulnerable or sensitive.

So far, Oli’s Army has raised a phenomenal $170,000, inching ever closer to a goal of $200,000.

A huge congratulations to Sophie, Limy, Hannah and Jules for their fantastic run, and a heartfelt thanks to them, and the wider Oli’s Army team for their ongoing support of Peter Mac and our cancer research.