Marathon in a month: Taranaki community encouraged to get active to help cancer patients

Marathon in a month will raise vital funds for the Taranaki Cancer Society. Photo/ Unsplash

The Taranaki community is encouraged to push their limits to raise funds for the Taranaki Cancer Society.

Walk, run, bike, swim, skip, complete a marathon in November, get active, and help cancer patients in the community.

It only takes 1.4km each day. This is a fun, interactive and easy fundraising event to get involved in. Your speed, your way, your Marathon in a Month.

"The idea of completing a marathon in one go can be a daunting feat for anybody who doesn't engage in marathons regularly," says Kate Dawson, Taranaki Cancer Society's health promoter.

"Marathon in a Month is a great way to encourage people to increase their physical activity by a small amount each day so that by the end of the month you will have completed the distance of a marathon.

"Robert Butler said it best when he said that 'If exercise could be packaged in a pill, it would be the single most widely prescribed and beneficial medicine in the nation'."

By joining the Cancer Society team, the support will ensure that the 71 New Zealanders a day who are diagnosed with cancer will not go through it alone.

"During the lockdown, our services were in high demand as people living with cancer navigated their treatment and support journey in a much more stressful environment," says Cassie Rowe, fundraising and events coordinator.

"Marathon in a Month is a great initiative to fund those services, while also improving the health of our community."

The Cancer Society provides free support services to those people and their whanau affected by cancer in our local communities.

Fundraising is vital for the work it undertakes and, by being part of the marathon in a month, people can help support the delivery of services across the Taranaki region.

Register online at www.marathoninamonth.org.nz. There is a range of prizes up for grabs, including Rebel Sports vouchers, sunscreen, and lunch vouchers.