Thousands flock to city for Run for the Kids ‘spectacle’

Melbourne’s CBD was awash with colour as thousands turned out to take part in the annual Run for the Kids event with more than $1.3m raised for the Royal Children’s Hospital. SEE THE PICTURES

MELBOURNE , AUSTRALIA. March 17, 2024. Run for the Kids. . Pic: Michael Klein

More than 25,000 Melburnians have turned out to show their support as part of the 2024 Herald Sun/Transurban Run for the Kids.

The Docklands area was awash with colour and music as the sun rose over Melbourne on Sunday morning, with participants braving the heat to take part in the event.

From experienced veterans to nervous beginners – and everything in between – runners packed out the Harbour Esplanade ahead of the race countdown at 8am.

As a nod to the superhero efforts of kids, families and staff at the Royal Children’s Hospital, some runners donned Spider-Man, Thor, Batwoman and even Bluey outfits.

This year’s event generated $1.3m following a massive turnout on Sunday.

Melburnians mustered together $1.22m to support the Royal Children’s Hospital, with a further $80,000 being donated by Transurban.

The Run for the Kids community event has raised close to $23m in total since it began 18 years ago.

Former Opposition Leader and Labor MP Bill Shorten had raised more than $11,000 before he set off for the run on Sunday.

As the runners snake their way through either the long or short courses, commuters are being warned traffic in and around the Docklands will be affected as a result of road closures.

Collins St, Batmans Hill Dr, Alexandra Ave and Linlithgow Ave will be closed in both directions until 1pm.

The West Gate Fwy from the Domain Tunnel to Bolte Bridge will be closed westbound until 12.30pm and the southbound service lane on St Kilda Rd from the Princes Bridge to Government House Dr will be affected until 1pm.

A Bulls fan cheers as he takes on the Run for the Kids course. Picture: Michael Klein

Running for little Ollie

Running on behalf of her son Ollie, Rachel Cornwell said the Run for the Kids event had really grown into a spectacle this year.

Ms Cornwell was running with her entire family of six as an ode to the incredible support her son had received at the RCH.

Young Ollie has been admitted to the RCH 52 times in the past two years, suffering from severe preschool asthma.

Ms Cornwell said the support and care Ollie and her family had received was “amazing” and the driving force behind her run on Sunday.

“It’s amazing, you can’t get anything better,” she said on her way to the start line.

“You get a lot of support at the Royal Children’s Hospital.”

Ollie is currently trialling injections as part of his multidisciplinary care and asthma management at the RCH.

He will require support for the rest of his life.

“We’re still working through things but he’s pretty good,” Ms Cornwell said in regards to Ollie’s current condition.

Cause worth the ‘tough’ run

Run for the Kids participant Andy Spence said Sunday was his first time featuring in the event.

Having moved back to Melbourne from Perth, Mr Spence said he wanted to raise money for a “good cause” following the birth of his first child last year.

“It’s great to see so many people out early, supporting a great cause,” he said.

He said the course was a “tough one”, with most of the trail out in the sun and the slope of the Bolte Bridge wasn’t for the faint-hearted.

“It was a great course, obviously you get to see parts of Melbourne you don’t usually get to enjoy while running.”