FORMER AFL great and media commentator Kane Cornes will be in Ararat in September as part of an ambitious fundraising effort for a children\u2019s cancer charity.<\/p>\n
Cornes announced recently he will run from Adelaide to Melbourne ahead of the AFL Grand Final to raise money for My Room Children\u2019s Cancer Charity.<\/p>\n
He said a similar run by Shane Crawford twelve years ago was the inspiration behind the initiative.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to basically replicate this (Crawford\u2019s) run. We\u2019re going to do it in 12 days, 780 kilometres over 12 days,\u201d he told Channel Nine.<\/p>\n
The run will leave Adelaide and travel the Western Highway through Murray Bridge, Bordertown, Nhill, Horsham, Stawell, Ararat, Beaufort and Ballarat before the final leg through to Melbourne.<\/p>\n
Cornes estimated he will run about 65 kilometres on average each day.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t wait to touch base with the local communities, tell a story of your businesses, to speak with the locals,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really want to raise some serious money and we\u2019d love for businesses to get behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cornes said he doesn\u2019t underestimate how difficult the run will be.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a significant physical challenge obviously but (I\u2019m) looking forward to being inspired and hearing the stories of families doing it so tough at the moment and it\u2019s all for the kids who are facing the most incomprehensible cancer challenge,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m up for it, I\u2019ll absolutely get through it, it\u2019s going to be tough, it\u2019s going to be hard, but with the support of My Room and everyone who jumps on board, it\u2019ll be huge,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Cornes said locals along the way are welcome to run with him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone can run with me, for portions of it, for large parts of it, but I want a convoy, as we go through these towns, if you want to jump on, run ten kilometres, run five kilometres, run two kilometres whatever it is, I think the support is going to be crucial,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Cornes, who now works as a commentator for the Nine Network, played 300 games for Port Adelaide during a 14 year career, including the 2004 AFL grand final.<\/p>\n