How duty and fatherhood have fuelled police detective Jason Quigley to lace up for Bravehearts 777 Marathon

Motivated by his experiences as a NSW police detective and his role as a father, Shellharbour’s Jason Quigley will lace up to endure seven marathons over seven days in seven states as part of Bravehearts 777 Marathon from 1 July.

Through the event, Jason aims to raise awareness and funds to protect children against sexual abuse and is driven by a mission to “make uncomfortable conversations comfortable”.

Jason said his drive to safeguard children and his passion for running made the event a good fit and a natural extension as a law enforcement officer in the Lake Illawarra Police District.

He said he’d known about the Australian child protection organisation Bravehearts for a couple of years, describing what it did as “a little bit different” because of its focus not only on counselling and support services for those affected, but also its school education and prevention programs around child sexual abuse.

“I like running, so my decision was a pretty easy one to jump on board and pull the two together,” he said.

“Obviously, with my work, I’ve seen the effect that it has on families, not only the child that’s involved, but everyone else that is involved with it.

“This charity for me, if I could sum it up in one word, to do these marathons and to raise money for Bravehearts is essential.”

However, he said personal reasons also drove his decision.

“We’ve got two little boys ourselves, and a big thing for us is that education side of things,” he said.

“So I was aware of Bravehearts through the education of our own children. And obviously, I was aware of it through work.”

He said one of his goals through raising awareness in honour of those affected was to make uncomfortable conversations comfortable.

“Those uncomfortable conversations often are the ones that lead to us becoming involved in these jobs,” he said.

“It’s a silent crime that often goes unreported, or it might never get reported or might get reported years down the track.

“With Bravehearts, it’s helping with that education around what’s right, what’s wrong, and that it’s your body. The more people know about Bravehearts, the more education is going to be out there.”

While he’s not participating in the marathon as a NSW police officer, he does have the full backing of the NSW Police Force.

He said unfortunately, it was quite prevalent within the various cases he worked on, which were then referred on to the child abuse unit in Wollongong.

“I would say when it comes to what I can only imagine is happening out there with the figures – one in four Australian children have experienced it and those figures are astonishing and scary – we don’t see that one in four, but we do see a lot,” he said.

“They [Wollongong] would see a lot more than what I see even.

“I take my hat off to those guys, because dealing with it day in day out, as the people affected have to, it’s just heartbreaking.

“We deal with the people that are affected by it, but at the end of the day we can walk away from it.

“The children and those families, the friends of those families and extended family, they’re the ones that are affected by it forever.”

He said it was the other reason he was drawn to Bravehearts, because it wasn’t just about preventative education but about care for those affected and their families.

However, the task ahead in the gargantuan event won’t be easy for Jason, as a relatively new runner who’s never done anything quite as extreme as seven marathons in a week.

“I’ve only been dabbling in running for two years in November,” he said.

“It’s something I rely on now for myself, as it’s my release and how I unpack things.

“But I’ve never done anything to this magnitude, and definitely never done a set of marathons in a row.”

Signing up for the charity in September last year, he has done just shy of 6500 kms in that 10 months to prepare.

“I think running wise, the training is there, it’s in the legs,” he said.

“But I’m not going to say it’s going to be easy, because of the travel, the nutrition, the recovery while you’re traveling and the emotional side of things, because some of the people you will be running with, their stories are going to be quite emotional in themselves.”

With an initial goal to raise $11,000, he had now surpassed that to raise more than $20,000, with a new goal set at $22,000, knowing 89 cents in the dollar goes to the cause.

“Bravehearts is something that needs our assistance, and the fact that we would all know someone that has been impacted in some way by it – it’s a heinous crime.”

He will be joined by fellow Illawarra runner Mark Upton when the event starts in Perth on 1 July and will reach Sydney on 5 July.

To help Jason raise funds for the 10th annual Bravehearts 777 Marathon, visit his Bravehearts page to donate. Or register to become a state runner.

For support and advice regarding child sexual abuse, phone Bravehearts FREECALL Information and Support Line on 1800 272 831 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm).