Why are we raising money?

This November, Luke will be taking part in the Running for Premature Babies Marathon Challenge, with the goal of completing 268km in 30 days. His sister Kelsey will be there through every step of his challenge, while she works toward her own goal - Running the 2027 Tokyo Marathon as part of the Running for Premature Babies team. 

Luke’s Why 💜

To me, 268km isn’t just a random number. It represents 26/8 my son Wyatt’s birthday.

Our brave little warrior decided he couldn’t wait another 9 weeks to meet us and entered the world at just 31 weeks and 3 days. The truth is, we weren’t ready for him to arrive so soon.

Instead, Wyatt, our tiny 1,040-gram baby spent 50 days in the NICU and SCBU at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide. For those 50 days, he battled through things no baby should ever have to face, fighting every single day for the chance to come home with us.

And he did.

Today, we have a beautiful, happy two-year-old who is here because of the incredible doctors, nurses and medical teams who cared for him day after day when we couldn’t do it alone. We will never be able to truly put into words what that means to us.

This November, I want to show Wyatt that his Dad can do something difficult too. But more importantly, I want to use this challenge to raise money and awareness for the tiny babies and families still going through what we once did and help give more premature babies the best possible chance of making it home.

I’m going to push myself further than I ever have before and complete these 268km in honour of Wyatt, my own little warrior. 

Kelsey’s Why 💜

My experience watching my nephew, Wyatt and his parents navigate those first uncertain weeks gave me a profound appreciation for the incredible healthcare teams who care for premature babies and support their families through some of the most challenging moments of their lives.

I have been given the incredible opportunity to run the Tokyo Marathon with the Running for Premature Babies team, and I am proud to use the November challenge, along with the months of training ahead, to raise funds in support of these amazing teams. 

By giving back, I hope to help provide care, hope, and support to other tiny babies and families facing similar journeys. For me, every kilometre will be for Wyatt, and for every little warrior fighting their way home.

Every donation helps fund the equipment and research that gives premature babies a better chance of survival and quality of life.

Thank you for supporting our challenge and helping Australia's tiniest babies.