Long road ahead: Madison Jones will run her first full marathon in October if she can reach a specified fundraising target before then.
Photo by
Bree Harding
What better reason to set a goal ahead of a milestone birthday than to raise money for a cause your family has been personally affected by — especially when it means your own health and fitness will be accelerated in the process?
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Naturopath Madison Jones will turn 30 in February next year, but she hopes to turn full-marathoner before that.
The Tatura local began training earlier this year, with the intention of completing her first marathon — a distance of almost 42.2km — at the Nike Melbourne Marathon October.
When she went to sign up, however, Ms Jones discovered it was sold out.
Ms Jones had the will, so she found another way to get a guernsey at the event.
Several charities offer places in the marathon to individuals who can raise a certain amount of funds for their cause.
Seeing one close to her heart in the top charities, it was a no-brainer for Ms Jones to apply for one of the available entries with Running for Premature Babies.
“Aaron (Matthews), my fiancé, was born at just 26 weeks, and it’s a true testament to the care he received at the Melbourne Royal Women’s Hospital that he’s here today and we are able to plan for our future together,” Ms Jones said.
“So not only will I be running to celebrate the life we get to spend together, but I am also running for all the premature babies that don’t make it and the women who have to recover after such a tragic loss.”
Ms Jones said she and Mr Matthews, who has fortunately suffered no long-term adverse effects from being born premature, had conversations about how there would have been some babies in the ward with him who did not make it and the couple often spared a thought for them.
“That was in the 1990s, but we’re still losing premature babies now,” Ms Jones said as she spoke of a friend who’d not long ago sadly lost her baby at 27 weeks.
Ms Jones said the application process was quick and easy.
She applied one night, pledging to raise the $2000 minimum required to gain entry (but hoping to raise more), and was accepted the next day.
By last Thursday she had reached her third fundraising milestone of $1000.
Ms Jones has been using the Runna app to train, ensuring she’s careful not to push herself too far and potentially cause injury, given this is her first foray into endurance running.
She has run 5km distances before, but just got serious this year and hopes to complete her first half-marathon at Run Melbourne in July ahead of the full version in October.
Running for Premature Babies raises funds to provide hospitals around Australia with lifesaving neonatal equipment to help support the 26,000 babies born prematurely in Australia each year.
Aiming high: Naturopath Madison Jones has surpassed the halfway mark of her fundraising goal, but would love to raise as much as she can for her chosen charity, Running for Premature Babies, as it’s a cause close to her heart.
Photo by
Bree Harding
