A VICTORIA Point man will be eating meals on the go when he runs up to 300-kilometres for sick kids.
Kieron Douglass will embark on a 40-hour run at Brisbane City beginning about 4am on Friday, November 17 to raise money for the Lady Cilento Hospital.
He said he would jog laps of the University of Queensland track from dawn on the Friday before running around Brisbane and finishing the next day at RNA showgrounds in Bowen Hills.
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The hard slog is expected to raise up to $12000 for the hospital’s own television program, Juiced TV, which is hosted by young patients.
Mr Douglass, who has also penned a children’s book, said he became inspired to raise money for Juiced TV three years ago.
“One early morning I jumped out of bed after a restless sleep around 2am,” he said.
“Right at that moment I decided I was going to run from the Gold Coast to the Sunshine Coast to fundraise for this beautiful program, Juiced TV.
Mr Douglass said he was hit by a car as a nine-year-old and remembered feeling scared at hospital.
He said Juiced TV was a great distraction for sick children.
“It is good for (the kids) to have a project and provides a safe zone from their challenges,” he said.
While jogging long distances is nothing new for the ultramarathon runner, this year Mr Douglass intends to go the extra mile.
He said his body was prepared to stomach burgers while moving – cramps might be induced, but the fatty fuel could spur him on to jog an extra ten hours.
Last year Mr Douglass covered 208-kilometers in a 30-hour run, but this year he wants to buckle down and run for longer.
“I look forward to the moment where I can’t physically go any further – you push through and go further,” he said.
While his 40-hour jog could clock up a distance greater than a car’s drive between Brisbane and Hervey Bay, Mr Douglass said the right music would keep him motivated.
He said Frank Sinatra was king on on his playlist, with swing crooners able to help steady his heartbeat.
“I try listening to really old music, like from the 1950s,” he said.
Mr Douglass said he hoped more local business would support his cause.
The Commonwealth Games baton carrier and father-of-two said he had raised about $5000 of his $12000 target so far.
To donate, visit his Children’s Hospital Foundation page here.
