Tom Jenkins and Andy Rogers were joined by several Kyabram runners on the outskirts of the town to complete the final 5km of the 110km marathon fundraising run.
Dark and cold may have greeted Tom Jenkins and Andy Rogers when they crossed the Fenaughty St finish line of their 110km Run for Hope a week or so ago, but the warm embraces that followed soon had them exchanging the agony of the marathon effort for jubilation.
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What started out as a challenge for two fitness enthusiasts and a way of supporting the Bears of Hope Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support organisation became much more.
The final fund raising figure of $27,000 was evidence of just how big the event became on the back of the energy of Jenkins and his wife Rachel.
The couple lost their daughter Scout last year and were supported by the Bears of Hope through the loss.
The Kyabram fitness fanatics, along with long-time family friend Rogers and a host of others, committed an extraordinary amount of time and effort to organising and completing the challenge.
Tom Jenkins embraces his wife Rachel at the Primal Gym finish line in Kyabram, with running partner Andy Rogers in the background.
They had an initial goal of raising $10,000, which was more than enough to purchase a Cuddle Cot — an especially designed cot with a cooling system designed to lie beneath the precious baby and slow down changes to the newborn. It allows families more time with their child.
They ended up raising enough to purchase more than three of the cots.
Jenkins and Rogers, who work together in Echuca, trained relentlessly to tackle the Benalla to Kyabram run, which started and finished outside the Primal Gym outlets of the two towns.
Jenkins is a personal trainer in his spare time and gained the support of the gym and several other businesses to launch his endeavour.
Bears of Hope have supported a number of families from the region, the Australian not-for-profit organisation managed solely by a dedicated team of bereaved parents.
The course that the pair followed from Benalla to Fenaughty St in Kyabram, which took them 12 hours and 31 minutes.
Their mission is to provide ongoing comfort, support and counselling to parents and families who have experienced the loss of a baby during pregnancy, birth and infancy.
A number of businesses, individuals and organisations supported the cause, none bigger than the Lancaster Football Netball Club Ladies Day event (which raised $2106.33 for the cause).
The run came to a climax when several Kyabram friends and @am.runclub members joined Jenkins and Rogers to complete the run.
Tom Jenkins manages a smile as he prepares for the final 5km of the run just outside the Kyabram town boundary.
With the Jenkins’ children, Harlow and Dusty on the roadside, the @am.runclub inspired Jenkins to meet his goal of running sub six-minute kilometres for the entirety of the run.
That target was threatened late in the event, but in the company of the support crew, Jenkins ran sub five-minute kilometres for a section of the last 20km and finished with a kilometre split of 5:58 for the marathon distance.
People trickled in to run with the pair from the 90km mark, some on bikes, fancy one-wheel skateboards and in prams.
And a path of pink streamers and balloons paved the way for the last stretch of the course.
Several Kyabram running enthusiasts braved the chilly conditions to support Tom Jenkins and Andy Rogers by running with them into Kyabram.
Sponsors for the event included Primal Health Club, Athlete’s Foot Echuca and Shepparton, Echuca Printers, Wedding and Event Angels, Hurleys Bar + Grill Kyabram, Intersports Bennett’s Kyabram, Simplot, Darren Seabrook Massage Therapy, Complete Per4mance Coaching, Fractel and Dance Illusions Kyabram.
