Numurkah's Ben Smyth completed a marathon around the local Showgrounds.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Numurkah’s marathon man Ben Smyth has completed the 42km distance around his home town’s local oval, and in doing so, raised more than $10,000 for the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation.
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Smyth, running in honour of late mother Kim, crossed the finish line after about 48 laps of the Numurkah Showgrounds on September 24, “wrecked” and cramping in both legs as he approached the end.
However, he wasn’t alone as a supportive community willed him over the line, even joining him in the seemingly never-ending circle work to help him complete his Marathon for Mum.
“I had plenty of people come down to run a few laps or set up a few gazebos and stuff where I had all my food and hydration along the way,” Smyth said.
“It’s pretty challenging running around the same track over and over again, so having them just to break it up and join in with laps.
“There was a big support crew there who got me over the line.
“It was pretty challenging; it was a lot warmer than I thought. I think it ended up being 28 or something that day.
“We even had one of the pre-schools or after school care kids come down, and they sprinted a lap with me.”
Ben Smyth completing his laps.
Ben’s mother Kim was a stalwart of the Numurkah Football Netball Club and the wider community, but after a diagnosis of Stage 4 Melanoma in July 2022, her brave two-year battle against the disease ended in September of 2024.
The Marathon for Mum continues a legacy of fundraising for the ASCF after Kim and the Blues community raised $20,000 several years ago, and Ben’s efforts have also proved successful.
The total funds raised now sits at $10,531.
“It blew me away,” he said.
“I had lots of well-wishers, and the total is up over $10,000 now.
“All that stuff is huge and shows how important the community is and how much Mum impacted the community.”
