A Queensland father of two will run seven marathons in seven days in an attempt to raise $20,000 for the child protection charity, Bravehearts.

June 6, 2018

A super-fit firefighter has set himself the ultimate challenge of running seven marathons in seven days, joining victims of sexual assault to raise thousands of dollars for a child protection charity.

Father of two Patrick Shanahan was motivated to take on the feat by the murder of teenager Daniel Morcombe, and his own daughter’s vulnerability after she was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome.

The 39-year-old has been running 120km a week in preparation for marathons in Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne, Hobart, Sydney and the Gold Coast between June 25 and July 1.

Mr Shanahan says the consecutive marathons are not only a physical challenge that will test his body, but also a logistical nightmare.

However, for others, the seven days will be an endurance of their emotions.

Mr Shanahan said for the sexual assault survivors in the group, the physically exhausting marathons can open the door to old memories.

“Speaking to some of the survivors who have done it previously, they said that at some stage during the seven days every single one of them has broken down and struggled to continue as the memories come flooding back to them,” he said.

On a personal level, Mr Shanahan said his daughter’s diagnosis with Asperger’s had led to him having a heightened awareness of child sexual assault and the need to protect children.

“When we were researching into Asperger’s… one of the main facts that came up was that young girls with the syndrome were more susceptible to sexual assault because kids with Asperger’s just can’t pick up some of the social and emotional cues,” he said.

Mr Shanahan, who has run eight previous marathons, hopes to complete each of the runs in three hours and 45 minutes but admitted it will be a gruelling schedule to maintain.

“Most of the time we get into the next location at around about 7pm and then it’s try to fuel and try to get some sleep, and then up around 4 o’clock to get some more fuel in us before we start again,” he told AAP on Wednesday.  

The former soldier, who lives on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, will be accompanied by about 10 other runners and up to 100 locals on each marathon.

“Every single day we’ll be going past what your body can naturally do, so you do have to keep a really close eye on it,” he said.

“That’s where the preparation and planning comes into it.”

He is hoping to raise $20,000, with all money raised donated to the child protection organisation Bravehearts.