At 14, Daniel Green is one of The Fred Hollows Foundation’s youngest fundraisers and is committed to running 300 km in August. Photos: Supplied.
One of Australia’s youngest fundraising heroes, Daniel Green from Hay, will be lacing up for his fourth run with The Fred Hollows Foundation to fight avoidable blindness.
The 14-year-old has been joining Fred’s Big Run since 2020 and has raised more than $10,000.
“The fact that every km can help someone [keeps me motivated],” he said.
“I try and go for a run before breakfast to motivate me for brekkie after I run.”
Avoidable blindness, also known as preventable or treatable blindness, refers to vision loss that could have been addressed through timely interventions such as treatment or surgery.
Aside from health conditions including cataracts and diabetes, a lack of access to health care, education or proper sanitation can also cause avoidable blindness.
The foundation estimates that 1.7 billion people will have some form of vision loss or blindness by 2050. It believes many cases of avoidable blindness can be prevented or treated by improving access to quality eye care, addressing socioeconomic disparities and promoting preventive measures such as wearing protective eyewear.
Following Daniel’s recent 80 km Anzac Day run over two days, he has set a goal of running 300 km in August for Fred’s Big Run, which challenges participants to set a distance goal for themselves throughout the month.
“I really wanted to push and get my first marathon [on Anzac Day], and I did that. And then the next day I played footy, and then I just pushed through,” he said.
“[I] tried to drink as much water as I should be, and I ran 38 km, something like that, on the next run.”
Daniel has been joining Fred’s Big Run since 2020 and has raised more than $10,000.
Daniel has been training almost daily to prepare for his 300 km run with his friends and family.
“[I do] long runs, quick runs, and then recovery runs from the long runs usually,” he said.
“I try and get a mix of runs in there because I don’t want to do the same run all the time and come out with the same distance.”
His love for running came from his first taste of cross-country victory in school, and he’s spreading that love to his siblings by coaching his eight-year-old sister, Norah.
“I was a year younger, and really was excited for the cross-country run [in school]. And then once I came in the top four and made it to the next level,” he said.
“My five siblings run a lot, and I’ve been trying to get them faster.
“[Norah did not enjoy my coaching] while she was running, but I think she was grateful for it after she came first in a cross-country and she really loves it.
“She wants to be just like me when she gets older.
“A mistake that I made is every run doesn’t need to be a push, like don’t push yourself on every single run. Keep hydrated and just keep moving.”
This year, the foundation welcomed three “inspiring and recognisable” Australians as ambassadors: motivational speaker and burns survivor Turia Pitt, Olympic swimming champion Susie O’Neill and former AFLW star and Indigenous advocate Kirby Bentley.
Visit the foundation’s website to sign up. Entry is free, and you can register for yourself or as a group.
