Queen of Hearts rolls into Darwin for ‘fabulous’ City2Surf event

Dawn Beaumont, also known as the Queen of Hearts, ran Darwin’s City2Surf event in the middle of her epic 200 days, 20,000km duathlon around Australia.

Lottie Hood

3 min read

June 3, 2025 - 2:41PM

Dawn Beaumont picked up some small running companions when she crossed into the Northern Territory.

News

Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.

In the middle of a theatre show 12 years ago, Dawn Beaumont was left desperately trying to save her mum’s life.

When her mum, Janet, collapsed in the Crown Theatre foyer in Perth with a heart attack and went into cardiac arrest, Dawn had to perform CPR to revive her.

“Luckily she survived,” Dawn said.

“It was a pretty intense moment.”

Janet, aged 53 at the time, found she had a major blockage in her artery and would require surgery for a stent.

Dawn said over the next few years, her mum changed her lifestyle choices which included stopping smoking and losing 60kg but they discovered their family has a history with cardiovascular disease.

It was when Dawn started looking into it and read a book about Australian ultra-marathon athlete Deborah De Williams who ran around the country for Breast Cancer Research that she became inspired.

Dawn Beaumont pictured at City2Surf is riding and running (daily duathlons) around the country to raise funds for RFDS and the Heart Foundation.

“I went I could do that,” Dawn said. “I could raise awareness for cardiovascular disease but let’s do it on a bigger scale, let’s add a few more km and throw in a bike.

“So we’ll run, ride, run everyday and at the same time lets go for a Guinness World Record as well.”

Darwin’s ‘fabulous’ City2Surf

Starting in Adelaide on February 25, the 40-year-old started on her mission to cover 20,000km in 200 days to raise $2 million to be shared equally between the Heart Foundation and the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS).

On Sunday, June 1, on her way through the NT, the runner and cyclist took part in Darwin’s City2Surf event.

Running with friends, Dawn said it had been a definite highlight.

Dawn (far right) ran in City2Surf on Sunday, June 1. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

”It’s a fabulous event,” she said. “It’s really well organised and the vibe was great.

“What was lovely as well because I do work for RFDS, they had partnered with City2Surf this year and we did some stuff there with Melville Island’s Tiwi College.

“The Tiwi College kids ran so I got to do a bit of a guest chat with them the other day as well while I was in town so that was lovely.”

Speaking from Katherine, Dawn said she would be in the NT until the end of June and is planning to travel to Alice Springs, Uluru and Tennant Creek before crossing the state border.

When asked how she was doing 100 days in, Dawn said she had experienced nine punctures, had the main support vehicle driven by her husband Kurt break down and had their caravan stuck in a bog in Katherine after the unseasonal recent rain.

Dawn Beaumont is riding and running (daily duathlons) around the country to raise funds for RFDS and the Heart Foundation and ran Darwin's City2Surf on Sunday, June 1.

“So the main support vehicle broke down before my body did,” she joked.

“My body is holding up more than most of my gear at the moment, it’s amusing me.

“But I’m not puncturing and I’m still going. It’s been absolutely epic.”

‘Cardiovascular disease can happen to anyone’

However, Dawn said she knows the “real business” starts in the next half of the mission when she will start breaking and setting records.

Raising nearly $41,000 so far, Dawn said apart from raising funds for two good causes, she hopes to start conversations around cardiovascular disease and who it affects along the road.

With the disease accounting for one in four of all deaths in Australia, Dawn said it is not just impacting people who are older or who have unhealthier lifestyles.