Mt Molloy teen Bodie Bloore to run 140km race solo for epilepsy

A Mount Molloy teen had just turned 18 when an epilepsy diagnosis ripped his independence from him. Now he is reclaiming it by taking on a 140km race solo to raise funds for the condition.

Bodie Bloore is running the Great Wheelbarrow Race to raise funds for The Epilepsy Foundation, after being diagnosed with the condition in 2024. Picture: Supplied / Jessica Lockhart

Bodie Bloore had just turned 18 when an epilepsy diagnosis ripped his independence from him.

Now, he is reclaiming it by taking on the epic 140km Great Wheelbarrow Race all by himself, to raise funds for the condition.

“This condition turned my world upside down,” Mr Bloore said.

“(The race) is one of those things where it’s just, like, a middle finger to epilepsy.”

When he was 17, Mr Bloore started having episodes of tics where he lost control of his arm and his mind went blank.

He then had his first seizure on a family holiday, and more than seven months of tests followed before he received an epilepsy diagnosis.

During this time he had his licence taken off him and had to stop his main passion, long-distance running.

Now on medication, Mr Bloore hasn’t got his licence back yet but has resumed running and set himself a challenge, to complete the 140km Great Wheelbarrow Race, alone.

The three-day race, from Mareeba to Chillagoe, requires participants to push a wheelbarrow Picture: Supplied / Jessica Lockhart

Growing up in Mount Molloy, the now 19 year-old said the race was a bucket list item.

“I grew up around the wheelbarrow race, it happened every year and it was quite a spectacle and I always thought it was really cool,” he said.

“It seemed like such a hard race so I was always pretty admirable of it.”

Mr Bloore is raising funds for The Epilepsy Foundation, an Australian charity that aims to reduce the impact of epilepsy on people’s lives.

Chief executive Graeme Shears said “given the burden on society of this disease is greater than breast cancer, epilepsy is not well known or supported with funding.”

“What we can achieve is only limited by the resources we can apply to solving problems for people living with epilepsy,” he said.

Mr Bloore said without medication, he wouldn’t be able to do the race.

“Now I’m just really lucky to be able to do all this and be able to train really hard and not have anything happen.

“Every dollar helps fund life-changing research to improve treatments and offer hope to those living with epilepsy.”

To prepare for the race, Mr Bloore is running 10kms each weekday and 20km a day on weekends, and he has already completed two 50km races, with another on the way.

“This isn’t a one-off thing,” Mr Bloore said.

“I definitely want to keep pushing the limits, but this is a good first really big challenge.

“I’m honestly really excited for it, and the race means a lot to me because I’ve grown up around it.”

To support Mr Bloore and The Epilepsy Foundation click here.

Originally published as Mt Molloy teen Bodie Bloore to run 140km race solo for epilepsy