Run Melbourne 2024 raises almost a million dollars for charity

On Sunday, July 21, 25,000 runners braved the Melbourne cold for the annual Run Melbourne festival.

The annual festival, which took over the streets of Docklands in July, saw more than 5000 individuals and 400 teams participating in the half-marathon, 10km and 5.5km events.

More than $991,000 was raised for a wide range of charities, with the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation, Beyond Blue and The Alfred being the major beneficiaries.

David Ridley took out first place in the men’s half-marathon, while Gemma Maini topped the women’s race.

Now in its 17th year, Run Melbourne has fundraised a cumulative $19 million since it was launched by Sole Motive in 2008.

Run Melbourne was accompanied by the family-friendly Move Melbourne event on Saturday, which invited people (and dogs) of all ages to walk, jog or run a 2km course and raise money for the Petbarn Foundation’s Seeing Eye Dogs Appeal. •