Pakenham’s long-time runner Michael Soutter is lacing up once again for the Relay for Life at Casey Fields later this month, with a deeper purpose this time.
Michael has been one of the most familiar faces at the annual Cancer Council Relay for Life, an overnight community event that brings together teams to raise funds for cancer prevention, research, and support services.
“It was very special for the whole family. And then year after year, we just kept going back,” he said.
Looking back, Michael and his family first participated in 2011 to honour members of the family.
“It was about finding a way to remember them and celebrate them, and it still is a big part for us,” he said.
“But it’s not just around those people. It’s around cancer itself and making sure that we try to fight as best we can in any way we can, and make sure that we are doing what we can.
“There’s not much we can do, but we can get uncomfortable for a night, and it’s okay to get uncomfortable for a night when you see what others have to go through.
“It’s not really that hard when you think of the big picture of why we’re doing it.”
What started as a small team of six has grown into more than 50 people now, with friends, family, and members of the running group he started in Pakenham all joining in.
Over the years, Michael has completed endurance challenges for good causes, including a 24-hour walk around the Pakenham Lakeside for a Beaconsfield mum to battle brain cancer.
In 2023, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
His friends and family raised about $30,000 in just over a week to help him get the critical surgery done.
Now cancer-free, Soutter said this year’s relay holds new significance.
“Since the diagnosis, Relay’s always been really special with the fundraising and stuff that I’ve done. It’s always been really a big part of my year and my life,” he said.
“You look at it differently.
“You look at it and you go, the tests and stuff that we are able to do because of the fundraising that we do for Relay and the progress that the medical fields have had, and that is where the grants go to.”
The Relay also marks a return to normality for Soutter after the pandemic disrupted the tradition.
“When Covid hit, we had our cars packed, ready to go to relay. On that Friday, they announced they had cancelled Relay because of Covid,” he recalled.
“That Sunday was when they first locked us down. And then it had been a few years away from Relay because Covid just made it really hard.
“So, to have it back is now really nice.”
Lyrian Fleming-Parsley, head of Fundraising and Communications at Cancer Council Victoria, praised the passion of long-time participants like Michael.
“We continue to be inspired by the groundswell of community support shown for Relay for Life each and every year, especially by those living in the south-eastern suburbs. Whether it’s long-time, inspirational fundraisers like Michael and his family or first-time participants, everyone involved in this year’s relay can feel proud that they are helping us make strides towards a cancer-free future,” she said.
More than 350 local runners have signed up for this year’s Relay for Life, including more than 30 teams, and it will be taking place from 6pm Saturday 25 October to 12pm Sunday 26 October at Casey Fields Regional Athletics Centre, 160 Berwick-Cranbourne Road, Cranbourne.
For more information: relayforlife.org.au
