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100 miles for Jordy
June 18, 2025
In 2023, Dillon made a bold decision to take on a gruelling 100-mile Ultra Marathon in the You Yangs.
This race started as a pipe dream for Dillon, but it quickly evolved into something much more personal when he realised he could honour the memory of his late nephew Jordan – who sadly died at two months old in 2018.
Life quickly became a blur for Dillon and his family, as they supported Kristy and Josh through Jordan’s end of life. Dillon recalls everyone under one roof, sleeping on mattresses for three-weeks as they prepared to say goodbye to his nephew.
“I remember Kristy and Josh were getting a lot of support from a lot of people ‘in the moment’, but as time passed, that dwindled a bit, whereas they’ve always felt supported by Very Special Kids.”
Very Special Kids has stood by the side of Jordan’s family throughout their grief and continues to provide access to expert counselling and a range of support programs, including free-of-charge holiday accommodation at Glen Osmond Farm. Located just outside the township of Woodend, the holiday accommodation offers families like theirs a tranquil place to relax and unwind together.
Five years on and buoyed by the support and encouragement from his partner Maddy and Jordan’s parents, Dillon took to the start line of the 100-mile challenge.
The race would see him running through the night in darkness and subzero temperatures, up mountains and, almost not making it due to hypothermia and dehydration.
“I remember running down a narrow dark corridor surrounded by trees, then my vision started going blurry… My head was spinning and I just lay down on the wet grass, as the temperature dropped to negative degrees.”
With his friend Sean running by his side, and wife Maddy and mum Vicki joining on the sideline for moral support, Dillon kicked back into action to take on the last leg of the race.
He went on to say every single step was agony, his legs were in so much pain but he never doubted he would finish, he had an incredible team behind him and he felt Jordan was there right by his side.
I talk to Jordan a lot when I run on my own. I remember when I started that last leg of the marathon I said out loud, ‘Come on, Jordy, let’s go!‘.
After I’d made it through the race, I knew Jordan was definitely given me a helping hand there.
After initially setting the goal for $500, Dillon was encouraged by family and friends, as well as Very Special Kids, to increase the target to $1500. Within two hours he had reached his target and ended up raising more than $11,000 for Very Special Kids.
“I’ve never fundraised before, so had zero idea of what to expect. It blew me away how many people cared and how many people would reach out to me saying that they drew inspiration from it as well.”
When asked what advice he would give to another fundraiser, Dillon shared, ‘If you’re passionate about the cause that you’re raising the money for, just trust that it is going to a good cause, and you don’t have to feel bad asking people to donate to a worthy cause.”
Would you like to take on a challenge like Dillon in support of Very Special Kids?
Become one of our charity superstars in the upcoming Nike Melbourne Marathon on Sunday 12 October 2025. Click here to apply.
