One participant who undertook the challenge of the longer course in 2008 having run little in the past was Jon Booth, National Pharmacies member. After some training with friends in the lead-up, Jon completed the course and gained a great sense of achievement, along with raising vital funds for the Royal Children’s Hospital.

As Jon Booth, 34, ran across Melbourne’s Bolte Bridge during Run for the Kids in 2008, he felt a great sense of satisfaction. Not only was the view spectacular, but at this point of the run he felt great, and realised how far he’d come since deciding to participate in the event just a couple of months earlier.

Jon had always stayed relatively fit with a weekly game of soccer and the odd jog, but had never been a serious runner. After completing the short course in the inaugural Run for the Kids the year before and enjoying it, Jon decided to try the longer course in 2008, even though he had never run as far as 14.14km before. He was also signed up to compete in the Oxfam 100km walk a month later, and knew that a run of this distance would be a good addition to his training schedule.

As well as going for at least two runs of 3km per week, Jon decided to run other, shorter fun runs with friends in the lead up to Run for the Kids. Not only did this help with his endurance and fitness levels, it also gave him goals and a competitive mindset, which he found motivating. “I found that this preparation was not only good physically, but also mentally, as I trained my body to run longer distances each week but also competed against myself, and my mates, for better results each time, which made it fun. Running with friends also meant that I couldn’t get out of it!”

Although Jon was realistic in what time he wanted to complete Run for the Kids in, he found that striving to better his record each time he ran made it more enjoyable, especially when running with friends. He timed each run and kept a log – seeing it in black and white motivated him to try even better each time. 

As well as running at least 6km during the week, walking his dog for half an hour a day and competing in a fun run every couple of weekends, Jon tried to have a healthy diet in the lead up to the run. “As it got closer and I was running more often I increased my intake of water and tried to stay away from fatty foods, just to be sure I wasn’t carrying any extra kilos on the day!”

He also stocked up on vitamins while training, taking a multivitamin every day to help to maintain good health and ensure his nutritional needs were being met. He was determined to avoid illness before the big day!

On the day of the run, Jon started his morning with a shot of espresso. “I read somewhere that caffeine before running enhances reaction time and running speed, so I figured it couldn’t hurt – especially at that time of the morning!” Lining up with friends at the start, he felt a mixture of nerves and excitement. “I was confident that I had prepared well for the run and just wanted to do myself proud by running a decent time, but also wanted to get through it without stopping.”

Finding the atmosphere ‘amazing and motivational’, Jon’s highlights were running through the Domain Tunnel and across the Bolte Bridge. “You’re sweating and puffing and then suddenly you look around you and realise you’re jogging over a Melbourne icon, or under the Melbourne streets! It was an awesome feeling and you could definitely feel the excitement in the air.”

But nothing could top the feeling when he jogged into the Botanic Gardens for the final stretch. “There were crowds of people lined up on the streets and in the gardens cheering you on. It was the best feeling. It gave me a burst of energy in the last 100 metres to get over that finish line, too. And I felt fantastic when I did.” 

Jon was pleased with his time of 1:23:56, and proud that he ran the whole way without stopping, something he’d never been able to do before. He was also happy to have raised money for such a fantastic cause. “It’s great that it was good for me and good for the Children’s Hospital, and a lot of fun.”