Tamworth's Lauren Healey nailed a podium finish in Sunday's Run Melbourne event, after being crowned the second highest fundraiser from a pool of 20,000 entrants.
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The former Calrossy student had every reason to run hard, and fundraise even harder, after her father, Tamworth orthopaedic surgeon, David Healey, was dealt an MND diagnosis earlier this year.
Dr Healey broke the news to his two daughters at Easter, and after wiping away the tears, Lauren set her sights on beating 'the beast' through research and awareness, raising an incredible $36,547 before taking on the Melbourne streets.
"I was quite nervous and anxious in the morning, and we were running a bit late," she said.
"But then I met some other people in the FightMND team, and started to enjoy it."
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The FightMND team raised a combined $117,000 for the cause, with the only person to beat Ms Healey's fundraising out of the 20,000 entries a fellow FightMND team member.
"It was unbelievable to get that support," she said.
"My first goal was to raise $700, so I really didn't expect it - it became a bit of a global effort."
The Healeys moved to Tamworth from Canada in 2015, so when word spread of Dr Healey's battle, the donations began to pour in from everywhere, with his former colleagues selling $1500 worth of 'Keep Calm and Fight On' shirts for the cause.
Lauren "can only remember the cheers" from the final kilometre as she cruised over the line on Sunday, before having "a nice big family hug" after crossing the line.
Recently, a gala ball was held in Tamworth for Dr Healey, with an American-style bbq fundraiser in the pipeline for November.
