Endurance test to help raise funds for childhood cancer

THE OX Marathon will see a record 300 runners tackle a gruelling 24-hour, 100km challenge in Lennox Head to raise funds for childhood brain cancer research.

Now in its third year, the event will be held on Saturday, October 11, with competitors running 4.2km every hour at Lennox Head.

The run began two years ago in memory of nine-year-old Lennox Head girl Frankie Fitzgerald, who died from Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) in 2022.

DIPG is a highly aggressive and incurable brainstem tumour, with the community rallying around her family to raise $380,000 from the first two events.

Founded by the Lennox Run Club, The Ox started with 100 participants in its first year and is now one of the region’s most inspiring endurance challenges.

The event is supported by RUN DIPG, a Newcastle-based charity funding world-leading research into DIPG and Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG).

“Families from across Australia now travel to Lennox Head to participate, each running in honour of their child and to shine a light on this devastating disease,” RUN DIPG general manager Jo Bennett said.

“At its heart, though, The Ox remains a Lennox Head community event, driven by the dedication of the Lennox Run Club and the extraordinary support of local sponsors and businesses whose generosity continues to make the event possible.

“It is a community united, running for those who cannot, and striving for a future where patients and families are no longer told to ‘go home and make memories,’ but instead offered real options and hope.”

The event will be held at Reflections Holiday Park, opposite the main beach car park, with the official start time at 9am.

Spectators are encouraged to attend and support runners competing individually and in teams.

Donations can be made at rundipg-org.grassrootz.com/the-ox-lennox-head-2025.