At kilometre 30, I stopped thinking about finishing. I am Julie Crawshay, and in 2024 I ran the TCS Sydney Marathon for the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation — 42.2 kilometres carried by a single thought: my husband would have loved this race.

Why I signed up

I did not run because I was a runner. I signed up because I needed something that was mine. Eighteen months into Nic's glioblastoma diagnosis, I had become a caregiver, an advocate, a researcher and an emotional anchor — and I had forgotten how to be a person who does something for herself. The marathon gave me that back, while raising funds for the GBM AGILE clinical trial.

The training months

I trained at 5am before the household woke. I ran on Sunday mornings while Nic slept in, which he did more often as time went on. I ran through winter cold and spring warmth, thinking about every family being told the words we were told. Race number 50829. Finish time 4:31:47. Not fast — but every kilometre run with intention.

What the finish line meant

On race day I wore a singlet that said "We won't stop until brain cancer does." Strangers asked what it meant. I told them. Some of them cried. Crossing that line was for the families in the thick of it right now, for the researchers, and for myself — because caregivers need to remember they are also people who deserve to cross finish lines. You can read more of my advocacy on Substack and support the cause through the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation.