Brilliant weather and a great attitude by MAGS’ students, staff and their supporters made for a successful Relay for Life charity run at the weekend.
The MAGS Mega Crew hip hop dance group helped to open proceedings at the Millennium Institute on the North Shore, before 292 students ran a total of 25,000 laps. While there were a lot of sore legs and blisters – with several students running the equivalent of two marathons – more than $84,000 (and counting) has been raised for the Cancer Society. The money raised is a huge credit to teacher Alayna Pulham and her team of organisers.
Ms Pulham says students have been fundraising away over the past month, asking friends and family to sponsor them. Many have spent their spare time baking cupcakes and other food to sell to people around school.
“The dedication and determination of some of these students has been exemplary with all the time they have put in to sacrifice for the cause. Many students around the school have been personally affected by cancer and watched family go through treatment. This has motivated them and meant they are driven to succeed. As a school we are still aiming to make $100,000 to donate to the Cancer Society.
“We are still accepting donations up to the 30th of March so if you feel like you wish to support this worthy charity get on board and donate.”
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The event is a relay held over Saturday and Sunday where a baton is taken around the track to symbolise the journey of a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Ms Pulham says people carrying the baton around the track became tired as night came after walking for 17 hours around the track and the group motivated each other to push through.
Many of the MAGS students had huge goals: 133 students ran over a marathon across the night which is equivalent to 105 laps around the track.
“Remember, many of these students are young and have not walked/ran this distance before. Of these, there were at least four students who ran over 200 laps: Ella Gillooly, Theo Brown, Bailey Bennett and Thomas Brendolise, who ran the most laps with 219, which is more than two marathons.
Ms Pulham adds, “The students at MAGS really have made the school proud; there were so many opportunities to show The MAGS Way; I saw so many instances of students helping and encouraging others over the night that it makes me really proud to be a teacher at this school.
“Every year this event becomes more and more popular with this year us having to restrict the number of students participating due to the limited space at the event. It is amazing being at a school where we have to actually say no to people who want to volunteer their time and energy to participate in such events.”
