ABOUT KERRY MCCANN

The 10km event at Run Wollongong will be run in honour of one of Australia’s finest ever female distance athletes, the late, great Kerryn McCann. Born and bred in the Illawarra, Kerryn’s achievements are numerous having won many Australian championship titles, winning Australia’s iconic footrace, the City 2 Surf, and, of course, back to back Commonwealth Games marathon gold medals in 2002 (Manchester) and 2006 (Melbourne).

Kerryn was a very proud member of Kembla Joggers for many years and won the Fitness 5 female race no fewer than 5 times, with her first victory in the inaugural edition in 1990. Her time of 15.49 in 2005 will forever stand as the female course record for the Wollongong course at the Kembla Joggers Cross-Country park, something a number of other Australian representatives were unable to better over the years.

Kerryn was admired not just for her extraordinary athletic ability, but for her humility, determination, and community spirit. She remained deeply connected to her hometown and was an inspiration to countless local runners, young and old. Her legacy lives on through the many people she motivated—on and off the track—and through events like this that celebrate not just elite performance, but courage, resilience and heart, all of which defined Kerryn’s life and running career.