Coogee’s Sari-Elle Kraemer prepares to run Everest Marathon to fundraise $120,000 for the Australian Lions Foundation’s Compassionate Fund

She’s embarking on the toughest challenge of her life – running the Everest Marathon – but there’s one major hurdle she has to jump before even starting the race.

Sari-Elle Kraemer is preparing to complete the highest marathon in the world after climbing to Everest Base Camp.

She’s embarking on the toughest challenge of her life – running the Everest Marathon – but there’s one major hurdle she has to jump before even starting the race.

Sari-Elle Kraemer never considered herself much of a runner, and it wasn’t until the start of this year when she decided to give it a serious go.

Now the 32-year-old is preparing to run in the world’s highest marathon in May and it’s for a good cause, aiming to raise $120,000 to help change the lives of people in desperate need through the Australian Lions Foundation’s (ALF) Compassionate Fund.

Ms Kraemer, whose day job is managing director of Alpha Consult, joined ALF in 2019 and has since become an ambassador and president of Coogee Lions.

For most people looking to run the Everest Marathon, altitude training is one of the key aspects of their preparation, but not for Ms Kraemer.

Coogee Lions Club president Sari-Elle Kraemer is looking to fundraise $120,000 for the Australian Lions Foundation’s Compassionate Fund.

Her first time running 42.195km was at the Sydney Marathon, amid one of the warmest events since its inception.

However, conditions will be completely different this time around.

First, she has to climb 17,598 feet above sea level to Everest Base Camp before spending two weeks to acclimatise to the rugged conditions. And it will be the only altitude training she plans on doing before the race.

Ms Kraemer said she didn’t want to set the bar too low when trying to raise as much awareness and funds for the compassionate fund.

“I googled the world’s hardest marathons and the world’s highest marathon came up in Nepal,” she said.

Sari-Elle Kraemer has already raised $30,000 for the Australian Lions Foundation Compassionate Fund.

“I just thought … I’ve never done anything like this before, never actually hiked at altitude, let alone ran a marathon, but I just set myself that challenge and decided to sign up.”

The ALF’s Compassionate Fund was set up to assist individuals or families in great “necessitous circumstances”, whether funding those deeply affected by the 2019-20 bushfires, or people needing urgent, or critical medical treatment.

It was a particular story of a young Queensland girl with a terminal illness which truly inspired Ms Kraemer’s decision to fundraise for the ALF.

“She was only given weeks to live and there was a special treatment she could access in [America] that her family couldn’t afford to get there and have this treatment,” she said.

“The grant provided the funds for her to travel to the states and have this treatment … years later, she’s living a healthy life.”

Ms Kraemer – who’s already raised $30,000 – is running 60 to 90km per week and has signed up for the Kosci50, an ultra-trail marathon in Kosciuszko, in December.

While it won’t be as difficult a challenge as running in Nepal, Ms Kraemer said it’ll give her proper race experience so she can achieve her goal of finishing on Everest.