After their initial plan to run from Mount Major at Dookie to Shepparton Brewery for the May 50 k fundraiser was cancelled by a snap lockdown, the keen trail runners recently did the same distance locally, and without an audience instead.
Mr McPherson used one word to describe what their bodies experienced covering such an epic distance — "pain".
But he said the mental challenge of a half-day endurance test was nothing compared to the bravery and resilience demonstrated by his sisters and mother, who were all at different stages of navigating life with MS.
Sisters Fiona Tsorbaris and Sal Madill learned they had the unpredictable chronic disease 10 and three years ago respectively, while their mother, Gail McPherson, is in the process of being diagnosed with what is likely the same condition as her daughters.
Mrs Madill said MS was something that wasn’t well understood by the public, and both sisters said their brother’s initiative was “amazing” for the funds and awareness it would raise.
“Everyone thinks MS is for old people, but I was 36 when I was diagnosed,” Mrs Tsorbaris said.
MS attacks the central nervous system — the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves — causing lesions that may affect sight, movement and cognition depending on their location and size.
No two cases of MS are the same, and many symptoms are invisible and episodic, fluctuating in severity.
Three-quarters of all people with MS are women, and it is most commonly diagnosed in people between the ages of 20 and 40 years old.
Mrs Madill said the fact she was close to her sister, who was diagnosed first and had been living with MS for years, did not prepare her for the reality of experiencing the disease herself.
“I thought I knew enough when Fi got diagnosed, but you don’t understand it until you get it,” Mrs Madill said.
Now all three women share knowledge of what it is like to live with chronic illness.
Mrs Madill said it was “a pretty special bond” to know what one another was feeling.
“We’ve always been close, and now we’re closer,” Mrs Tsorbaris said.
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This year is not the first time a crew from Shepparton gym VI.PT Lifestyle has tackled The May 50k fundraising event, and in 2021 it is bigger and better than ever.
The May 50k is MS Australia’s challenge to run 50 km over 31 days, all the while asking for donations to fund research to treat and prevent MS, which affects 25,000 Australians and for which there is no cure.
Twenty Shepparton runners hit the track with purpose in May, totalling 1000 km between them.
Now they've opened an invitation to the public to join them for a more moderate 5 km or 10 km fun run in July, followed by a shindig at Shepparton Brewery to take their fundraising initiative up a notch.
“We’ve done The May 50k in the past but we’ve never done a big event like this,” Mr Tremellen said.
In collaboration with the VI.PT team, Shepparton Brewery owner Daina Winch will open her venue for a public fundraising lunch on July 11, with $5 from every $25 pizza and beer deal to be donated to the worthy cause.
The Shepparton Brewery will match the total sum raised on the day, doubling the donation by drawing from a Community Chest.
“We love to support the locals that are doing something for a good cause,” Miss Winch said.
The idea came from brewery staff member Lenny Threlfall, who took part in the month-long fitness fundraiser, contributing to the cause and taking care of his mental health in the process.
“It’s a bit more like therapy, when I feel down I put a bit of Springsteen on and go for a run,” he said.
The event next fortnight will feature raffles to entice further funds, and 18 businesses from the area have offered support.“We decided to escalate things and it’s been unreal how quickly businesses have jumped on board,” Mr Tremellen said.
Plans are already under way for next year, the beginnings of what may become an anticipated annual Shepparton event.To pre-purchase a $25 ticket to the fundraising lunch visit sheppartontickets.com.au and select ‘The May 50km Fundraiser for MS'. The event will be held at Shepparton Brewery on Sunday, July 11, from 11 am to 2 pm.
