Inspired to run for cancer research

Kate Kane running in the Port Stephens half marathon

20th Feb 2024

Guyra mother Kate Kane is in training to run a marathon in memory of her inspirational daughter Peta, forever 11, who loved to run and who she lost to brain cancer. She has already completed a half marathon as preparation for a full marathon which will take place in Newcastle on April 21st this year.
Kate is running not only in memory of her daughter, she is also running the marathon in memory of, and to honour, two other beautiful brave children who were being treated while Peta was in hospital.
Aahliyah Cutrupi and Sam Hope (also from Guyra) passed away the year after Peta. Kate will be running the marathon in a shirt with photos of Peta, Sam and Aahliyah on it, plus the Children’s Cancer Institute (CCI) logo. She has been in training since August last year and remains focussed on her goal of raising funds for research into childhood cancer.
Kate has already published a book based on Peta’s writings and has also launched a range of athletics shirt inspired by her daughter (Positive Energy Through Athletics) with proceeds going to children’s cancer charities.
“I will be thinking of those inspirational little people all the way,” Kate said. “I always had it in my head that I would do a marathon one day in memory of Peta, so when I started to promote inspirational athletics shirts, I decided that I should ‘walk the walk’ as well as ‘talk the talk’ and that now was the time to start training!
“Peta gives me inspiration and motivation in all my running and helps me push through - I remember her running bravely around Guyra oval between her rounds of chemo to regain her strength and maintain fitness so she could get back to her running as soon as possible, and when she was paraplegic after her relapse all she wanted to do was get back to her running training and to school.
“Peta can’t run any more, so I’m running for her. And when I think of all she went through and endured as an 11yr old with such bravery and determination, always with a smile on her face, it gives me strength to keep going.”
Kate is currently running up to 32.64km on my weekly long run, and it is not always easy. Her joints, particularly her knees leave her feeling crippled straight after the long run. She has now added strength training into her weekly routine to hopefully prevent injury.
She has chosen to run in is Newcastle Marathon in April, the city where Peta travelled to regularly for treatment at John Hunter Hospital. It will be the first time she has been back to Newcastle since losing Peta in February 2019. I
“I feel ready now to return to Newcastle and run in memory of Peta, Sam and Aahliyah,” Kate said. “It will all obviously be very emotional, but I hope that with Peta, Sam and Aahliyah and their bravery in my thoughts it will be enough to keep me running for 42km!
“As part of my training I ran in the Port Stephens half marathon at the beginning of December in 2hrs 1min 47 sec (despite a few minutes lost with confusion over course route) and was 2nd female in my age group. But a marathon is a different ‘beast’ and much more than twice the challenge!
“Supporting the Children’s Cancer Institute is so important as it is the only independent medical research institute in Australia solely dedicated to curing childhood cancer.
“On average three Australian children every week die from cancer and the incidence rate of childhood cancer in Australia between 1983 and 2015 has increased by 34%.
“No child should have to go through what Peta, Aahliyah and Sam went through. Beautiful brave souls whose lives are cut short when they have only just begun, hopes and dreams snuffed out.”
You can support Kate in her efforts to raise funds for CCI www.ccia.org.au/fundraisers/katekane or scan the QR code in the picture below. If you want to learn more about Peta’s story or purchase athletic shirts and her book she has a facebook page ‘The Short Stories of Tildy’ and website www.tildystories.com.

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