Canberra agent completes 777 marathon for Bravehearts

A Canberra real estate agent has run seven marathons or half-marathons in seven days across seven states to raise funds to help prevent and support survivors of child sexual abuse.

Carter + Co managing director James Carter completed the Bravehearts 777 Marathon from June 29 to July 5, running more than 230 kilometres across Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Sydney, Canberra and the Gold Coast.

This year’s event has so far raised more than $911,000, with donations still coming in.

“This was for Bravehearts, which is Australia’s child protection charity,” Carter says.

“That involves things like teaching children about consent and running school and education programs.”

Bravehearts also provides specialist trauma counselling for children and families affected by sexual abuse, equips those working with children with the skills to identify and respond to abuse, does research on child sexual abuse prevention, and advocates for child protection reform.

Carter says he was part of a national team of 30 runners who completed marathons in each of the seven states, with thousands of other runners completing single legs of seven kilometres, 14 kilometres, a half-marathon (21.1 kilometres), or a full marathon (42.2 kilometres) in their closest city.

“It was such an emotional journey,” he recalls. “By the time I ended up starting my run in Hobart, I’d only had about 15 hours’ sleep. [After a marathon] you basically go back to your rooms, have a quick shower, pack your bag and then you’re on the bus to the airport to fly to the next city.”

Carter + Co also sponsored 50 runners across the country by covering their registration fees to complete a leg of the 777 Marathon, including 15 Merici College schoolgirls from Canberra.

“We wanted to help others to get active in their community and feel connected to their community,” Carter says.

He says the national team travelled with several doctors and physios. While he was fortunate not to suffer from the blisters and toenail damage some runners experienced, he did injure the knee he had surgery on 18 months earlier. 

“I ended up getting an MRI on my knee and I’ve got some cartilage damage and a cyst behind my knee that developed, which I could feel when I was running,” Carter says.

“I had my knee strapped and my ankle strapped but then I decided, for the sake of not needing surgery again, that I’d drop down to run a half-marathon for Hobart, Sydney and Canberra. But I completed full marathons in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and the Gold Coast.”

Carter says he only took up marathon running a year ago and has so far run 25 marathons, including two 50-kilometre runs and two 100-kilometre runs.

He admits fitting in training around his busy real estate career can be difficult, but raising money for charity is something he finds rewarding.

When he established Carter + Co in 2019, he knew he wanted to give back to the community and create social change.

“When we launched our business, we knew we wanted to build something bigger than ourselves,” Carter says.

“That’s why we proudly established our very own Carter + Co Fund through Hands Across Canberra, a charity initiative that supports over 350 local non-government and community organisations that change lives across our region every day.”

Alongside supporting local organisations through the Carter + Co Fund, the agency undertakes Epic Charity Challenges, ambitious fitness events designed to raise funds and awareness for causes close to the team’s hearts.

The 777 Marathon for Bravehearts was one of those challenges.

“The epic charity challenges are about more than endurance,” Carter says. “It’s about community, leadership and the belief that one act of courage can inspire many.”