Katrina Blowers, a journalist for Channel Seven in Brisbane, is preparing to run her first full marathon on the Gold Coast next Sunday, despite never considering herself a runner. Her motivation stems from the death of her mother, Elizabeth, who passed away from Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in 2024 at age 71, less than a year after diagnosis.
From grief to a physical challenge
Blowers described the disorientation following her mother's death, saying she felt "untethered" and sought a meaningful way to honour her memory. She chose running, an activity she previously hated, to raise funds for FightMND. Initially, she could not run five kilometres but completed two half marathons and a 27-kilometre challenge last year.
After those achievements, Blowers planned to stop running, but a stand-up comic's joke about half marathons sparked her decision to attempt a full marathon. She signed up for the Gold Coast Marathon, known as Australia's flattest course.
Diagnosis and loss
Elizabeth's symptoms began with a slight slur in her speech and a limp. Blowers recalled, "At first, we had no idea what was going on with her, we even joked she'd been hitting the wines in the daytime too much." After visits to doctors and a neurologist, the family received the worst possible news. MND claimed her mother in less than a year.
Two events within a week reignited Blowers' fundraising commitment: NRL star Jai Arrow's MND diagnosis at age 30, and the death of FightMND founder Neale Daniher. "Both hit me like a punch to the gut," she said. "They were a reminder that while there is more hope than ever before, this disease is still devastating families every single day."
Fundraising and training
Blowers filmed an off-the-cuff Instagram video in the Channel Seven carpark in Brisbane announcing her fundraiser. She has since met families fighting MND, including Ron 'Hobbo' Hobden, a father of two who received his MND diagnosis just a week before the same marathon in 2023. "I remember Annie sitting beside me and the way she tried to hold back her tears," Hobden said. "I thought of our kids. Lizzie was three. Henry was one. How do you tell them their dad is dying?"
Blowers has trained through early mornings and countless runs in Brisbane, with her longest training run reaching 32 kilometres. She admits she does not know if she can finish the 42-kilometre race. "The generosity of everyone who has donated so far will definitely put some wind in my sails," she said.
Purpose and impact
Blowers emphasised that 42 kilometres is nothing compared to what MND patients and their families endure daily. She hopes her run raises money for better treatments or a cure. "If running this marathon raises money that helps bring us even one step closer to better treatments, or one day a cure, every single kilometre, and every single blister, will have been worth it," she said.
