A Woodend local will soon run a 100 kilometre trail run to raise money for a friend with motor neurone disease (MND).
Mike Boudrie was shocked by a post he saw when he was scrolling through LinkedIn – his mate, Warren Galgut, had been diagnosed with the uncommon condition which affects the brain and nerves.
“He’s just like me,” Mr Boudrie said.
“We worked together out of uni, he’s got little kids, he’s in his early 40s… he’s been dealt this terrible hand.
“MND has no cure and no treatment – he’s been given a 27 month life expectancy.”
Mr Boudrie has experience as a runner, but an ultramarathon off-road along Victoria’s coast in September is going to be a serious challenge.
He’s aiming to raise $10,000 for FightMND, a charity for funding effective treatments, and ultimately a cure, for MND.
“I’ve run marathons and things before, but I’ve never run 100 kilometres,” he said.
“If I was going to fundraise for Warren, I needed to do something [big].
“There is never anything as hard as being terminally unwell, but I need to do something really difficult.”
Mr Boudrie met Mr Galgut in the early stages of their careers at Ernst and Young, before going their own ways.
“But, Melbourne being Melbourne, our paths crossed from time to time,” he said.
“I was surprised by my reaction to Waz’s diagnosis.
“I was deeply shocked, and for weeks and then months after finding out, I could not stop thinking about it.”
Followers can track Mr Boudrie’s training journey through his FightMND funding page, where he posts updates and thanks donors.
Details: hub.fightmnd.org.au/fundraise-for-fightmnd/mike-boudrie
Elsie Lange
