JOIN TOM AND HELP HEALTH HEROES
THE region’s favourite fun run, Run4Geelong, is back on November 14 in a new virtual format that offers plenty of fun for the entire family and raises much-needed funds for a good cause.
Sponsored by the Geelong Advertiser, it will feature 10km and 5km events and a 1km kids’ dash race, with
100 per cent of each registration donated to Barwon Health.
Participants will be encouraged to complete their preferred distance at a time and destination of their choosing with plenty of new additions and activations to be announced in coming weeks, ensuring the community will be buzzing on event day as we work towards a common goal.
Former Geelong Cats star Tom Lonergan has signed on as an ambassador for the popular community event, motivated by his own lifesaving experience with the health service 15 years ago.
“I know better than most about the incredible work they do at Barwon Health and this is a fantastic way for people to raise funds for a service that you or someone you love is going to need one day,” Lonergan said. “November is the perfect time of year to get out and get moving, and I think this year has taught us how important that is for our mind and our bodies, so we are looking forward to taking part in Run4Geelong as a family.”
Lonergan required emergency surgery at
Barwon Health’s Geelong hospital to remove a kidney after an on-field collision with another player in August 2006.
During the six-hour procedure, he required 40 units of blood and other blood products and was afterwards in an induced coma for four days, requiring around-the-clock care in intensive care.
Barwon Health
Foundation executive director Zoe Waters said the event offered past patients of the health service an opportunity to give back to those who cared for them.
“This year, more than ever, we have come to appreciate just how vital our healthcare heroes are,” she said.