From Key West to Canada: Four Australians run the East Coast

RICHFORD, Vt. (WCAX) - Four friends from Australia set out on a mission to run 80 marathons in 80 days for a good cause. More than 2,000 miles later, their journey is coming to an end.

Starting in February, Max Cutrone, Jasper Gotterson, Sean Stuart and Rory Cheal ran from Key West to Canada While doing so, they were fundraising for the Australian-based Cancer Coalition.

“We thought running across the country would be a great way to raise funds, support them and get the message out,” Cutrone said. “The research is there and can really save lives.”

All of them have personal stories about how the disease has impacted them. For Cheal, it was his mom, who’s now in remission after several years of surgeries and treatments.

“She has been the past two years, which is phenomenal, but that really affected me and my family,” he said.

So far, the group has raised more than $140,000 through running. They got the idea for this excursion during lockdown.

“We had a bit of cabin fever during COVID and we knew we wanted to do something big and bold to make a bit of noise,” Cheal said.

“It took about two years to build up to this point,” Stuart explained. “There were numerous times during training when a lot of people thought we wouldn’t be here, including us, but we worked together as a team.”

Through many shared motel rooms, injuries and doubts, the mates finished their quest to take on the States.

“I think the hardest part of it is breaking down such a huge, daunting challenge like that, 80 marathons in 80 days,” Gotterson said. “If you see us and you’re inspired by doing a big challenge like that, please shoot for the moon. There’s no challenge too big. Break it down and attack it like that.”

Copyright 2023 WCAX. All rights reserved.