The Why

I started running long distance in 2017 after the birth of our son Archie. I played a lot of footy but was well retired by the time he came along so not only did I want to show him that the old man had a little bit left, but that there is nothing you can't achieve if it's something you want and you commit to achieving it.

I've now run 25 Marathons, 14 of those have been as part of the Bravehearts 777 and 8 of those are now part of my 52 in 52 journey.

I was attracted to it initially because of its difficulty but soon learnt more about the charity, what it does and what it stands for, not to mention the incredible people involved.

I went into the first one thinking it would just be a bunch of crazy runners trying to do crazy things, and of course there's some of that, but learning the stories of the people I was running it with was what endeared me to it.

Some of these people had experienced child sexual abuse directly. Victims who as adults had come back to raise awareness about this heinous crime and toe the line to run almost 300km in a week to ensure what happened to them, doesn't happen to any kids today.

Try not to be inspired by that.

It got me thinking, if these incredible humans can do things like this, then as someone who thankfully has never been affected by child sexual abuse, there is more I should be doing - I figured 52 Marathons in 52 Weeks sounded about right.

The What

Born and bred in the Latrobe Valley, Curtis Cooper is currently running 52 Marathons in 52 Weeks at various locations across Australia in a bid to raise $250,000 for child protection charity Bravehearts.

Curtis will cover almost 2,200 kms for the year in the form of full marathons (42.2km), including major races such as the Gold Coast Marathon, Melbourne Marathon and World Major Sydney Marathon among others including the local Traralgon Marathon.

His quest began on June 30 this year where he ran 7 Marathons in 7 Days Across 7 States, which is where he will finish his quest on Day 1 in Perth on 29th June, 2026.

The Charity

Founded in 1997, Bravehearts is an Australian child protection charity dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse.

Bravehearts EDUCATES, EMPOWERS and PROTECTS children and young people by way of personal safety education programs, child protection training, trauma-informed counselling, research, lobbying and national awareness campaigns.

The Facts

The hard truth is more than 1 in 3 Australian girls and almost 1 in 5 boys experience child sexual abuse. A ridiculous statistic that simply shouldn’t be, especially in our own backyard.

The How

Curtis will run 52 Marathons in 52 Weeks - some of these will be made up of weekend runs on his local trails in Melbourne, as well as major and minor marathon races across Australia.

His progress can be followed through his social media accounts: Facebook and Instagram.

What We Need 

We need to form partnerships with significant donors in order to raise the $250,000. Anything and everything is up for discussion. The goal is to raise the funds to help protect the kids and Curtis is willing to do whatever he can to make this happen.

Where Will The Money Go

On costs associated with intervention and counselling for Children, Young People and Families as well as programs such as Ditto’s Keep Safe Adventure.

Bravehearts also provides case management and counselling services to adults undergoing Redress, operates a National toll- free Information and Support Line (1800 272 831) and provides holistic therapy and support services to young people who have engaged in, or are at risk of engaging in, harmful sexual behaviours.

Acknowledgement To Date

There is also going to be a photographer/videographer documenting the entire journey.

He and his family have been featured on Channel 9 News, with a planned follow up as the journey continues.

Curtis is being coached by a high profile coach with a number of high profile athletes under his care.

Curtis has been featured in the Latrobe Valley Express on a number of occasions. As word of this epic quest continues to spread, as do the opportunities for publicity.