Western Pride football club player Harrison Turner recently raised more than $28,000 for dementia research when he ran 138km.
Harrison created this personal challenge entitled Miles for Memories as a way of doing something extraordinary, but also to see how far he could push himself.
Reflecting on his charity run he said at 70km he experienced stomach cramps and starting vomiting and it would have been easy to throw in the towel.
“I turned off the music in my ear pods and listened to myself,” he said.
“This made me realise that there is more in you than you think. There is always so much more to give.”
Harrison said he took up the challenge during the off season in the Queensland Premier soccer league.
His training for the challenge entailed three 21km half marathons a week.
“But nothing prepared me for the event itself,” he said.
Harrison said he was driven to support Dementia Research Australia to honour his maternal grandfather and his great uncle Patrick McCann.
“I saw how it affects the family and I wanted to help,” he said.
Harrison said he was overwhelmed by business owners and the community who supported his cause and by his father, brother Wesley and friend Brandon Edlin as his support crew.
Harrison said he would like to make Miles for Memories an annual event where other athletes could set their own challenges.
