He ran before dawn in torrential rain, jogged through his lunch hours, and pounded the pavements as the sun went down. 28-year-old Damion Ranginui clocked up more than 500 km in April to raise more than $28,000 for KidsCan. He grew up in poverty, and he wanted to make a difference for children just like him.
He’d set out to run 22 half marathons in 22 weekdays. But he didn’t stop there. On a bit of a whim on his very last day he decided to run three halves - 63.3kms. His legs gave out at the 60km mark, but his boss at KPMG, running alongside him, spurred him on.
“I’m pretty stoked that so many people got in behind it. It feels great that a lot of kids are going to get the meals and nutrition that they need to get on with their days,” Damion says.
“Who knows what kind of difference that might make, in terms of a kid who might otherwise have gone without, who is now getting a good meal and can have the energy to focus in class - what kind of opportunity that might give to them.”
He set out not just to raise money - but to open people’s eyes to what children in poverty are going without.
“You can create hype in a moment and people want to help in the moment, but the thing is creating sustainable change that will continue going forward. I think people are definitely more aware and definitely keen to help and it’s about keeping it going.”
Now he’s off to see the world - a trip that as a teenager surviving on Weetbix he could only have dreamed of.
“I get to do four months of travel which will be amazing and then I’ll settle down in London. Big city, so much opportunity and so many new experiences to be had. It’s pretty amazing looking back, the opportunities that can be created through hard work, discipline, consistency.”
He also points to the support he’s had from others. “People have opened doors and showed me the way to walk through them. But it has to start from the individual being willing to work hard. If you put your best foot forward, then people around you will help you take that next step, which is pretty cool.”
“That’s really the formula I’ve lived by throughout and the places it’s taking me, the fruits that come with it, I’m absolutely loving it and just stoked with life and really looking forward to more to come.”
