In six months’ time, Sam will be running from Cape Reinga to Wellington for brain cancer research. But before we start this extraordinary journey together, we want to share some of the back story about Georgie, the deep motivation behind this run, and the people who are making this happen.
So why would Sam want to do such a crazy thing? And why now? What was it that started this whole journey into the world of ultra endurance marathons and raising money and awareness for brain cancer research?
In 2023, our cousin Georgie started suffering from bad migraines. One afternoon her young daughter found Georgie (mother of three) collapsed on the kitchen floor. Thankfully she had the foresight to call her uncle, Georgie’s brother, who alerted the ambulance. This was the start of Georgie’s experience of incurable brain cancer, and the start of her fight to raise money and awareness for brain cancer research.
Sam wants to be part of this fight. Georgie’s wish is that we raise money for brain cancer research so that others might have the chance of survival where she doesn’t. We are raising money for a world first National Brian Tumour Registry (created by NANOS: New Zealand Aotearoa Neuro-Oncology Society) that will create a data bank with a unique cultural footprint that will contribute to a global understanding of this killer and accelerate research.
But this really isn’t a story about just one runner. It’s a story about hundreds of people coming together with one purpose—to help change the future for families affected by brain cancer, and to give sufferers a chance of survival.
The generosity of a community
We couldn’t do this without the generosity of our community, brain cancer warriors and survivors, sponsors and friends who are making this happen, and we want to shout them out.
We want to thank Scott at Volkswagen New Zealand for the incredibly generous loan of a new Grand California for the duration of the run, this is out of this world, generosity, and the foundation of being able to make this venture happen.
A big shout out to Shane at Mizuno for supplying Sam with the most incredible road and trail running high tech trainers; without these high-performance trainers this can’t happen, and for an added bonus, giving Sam their super cool apparel to wear.
A huge thank you to Hamish and Mike at Shoe Clinic for their massive support, access to their amazing range of shoes, incredible facilitation, knowledge, and generosity. Hamish has 100% backed this cause, without which this really wouldn’t happen, and for supplying Drymax socks to keep Sam’s feet safe, dry and functioning with their advanced textile technology.
Mike at Garmin has also been fantastic and have supplied Sam with a state-of-the-art Garmin Forerunner 970 and tons of advice. This will enable us to track Sam’s location, vital for trial running, real time biometric data, see how Sam is performing and where he needs to build and develop, adding another layer of the human experience to this story.
And a huge shout out to Jack at Cactus Outdoor for taking care of the crew in super cool gear, for generally being brilliant, and incredibly supportive of what we are doing and so open to our crazy ideas!
We are making a documentary with People with Ideas (PwI), an outstanding film crew, with their broad international experience in telling authentic, human centred and profound story telling we know we are in good hands. Their skill in visual story telling will contribute to the unique and long-lasting texture of this endeavour. This is a charity project for them, with all proceeds going to brain cancer research.
A specific acknowledgement must go to Luke Woodcock, former Black Cap and Wellington cricketer for giving us vital insight of what it is to suffer from this hideous disease. His lived experience of brain cancer and the sharing of this knowledge is vital for us as we work towards capturing what it means to live with brain cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand. Luke is with us for the entirety of the journey, offering us vital insights along the way, and keeping this story grounded in lived experience.
Also, our outstanding and supportive charity partner, Brain Tumour Support NZ, and their community. Spearheaded by Chris Tse and Sarah Verran, their generosity, energy, empathy and compassion, and strong relationship with the New Zealand brain cancer community has enabled this story to have the depth it deserves and give a platform to the deeply authentic and real voices of the brain cancer sufferers of Aotearoa.
We acknowledge the great and tireless work of Thomas Park and Katherine Hann and all at New Zealand Aotearoa Neuro-Oncology Society (NANOS), and other researchers like Melanie McConnell for the inexhaustive work that goes into fighting brain cancer and spearheading the creation of the National Brain Tumour Registry that we are all striving towards.
A specific shout out to Oliver and Ray Gazley @gazleymotors for being such strong advocates of this run, and for all their incredible work into fundraising for brain cancer, specifically paediatrics. We want to thank them for their generosity, energy, bravery, and compassion in sharing their story of their remarkable daughter Jemima. Their advice, guidance and time has been behind much of what we have achieved.
A massive shout out to the people of Aotearoa New Zealand fighting cancer today, and for sharing their story with us to help us explore and give voice to their communities living in such dreadful circumstances.
The cruelty, brutality, and coldness of brain cancer, the way it will target anyone; young, old, male, female, or any culture and creed, at random, is difficult to ignore. Brain cancer is often incurable, with survival being measured in months, not years. It is the biggest cancer killer in adults and children under the age of forty, yet, for such a prolific cancer killer, hardly anything is known about it and there is little funded research or development over the last few decades. I want to change this.
This run isn’t a hero piece, it is more than just a run. It is a story about individuals fighting this hideous disease with dignity and bravery, all in our own ways. We all have something to give, and this run is something we can pull off together, the broader community, to raise vital funds. Together we can make a real difference for New Zealanders, a difference between life and death.
Over the next six months this is what you can expect from this blog:
- training insights,
- behind-the-scenes preparation,
- family stories,
- interviews with researchers,
- sponsor stories,
- documentary updates,
- route planning,
- volunteer experiences,
- brain cancer awareness, and
- daily bulletins once the run begins.
Share your stories
We invite you to share your stories and experience and contribute toward this being a vibrant community with a voice. Share your story and follow this blog, Follow us on
If you want to share your experience with us please email hello@bigbrainfoundation.org
Please support brain cancer research and
See you on the road!
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