Miles 4 Mac: Teenager runs from Sydney to Armidale to support mate's cancer battle

So, The Armidale School Year 10 student laced up his joggers and embarked on an incredible journey, running 530 kilometres from Sydney to Armidale.

"About two months ago Mac's dad, Guy, was picking up his kids from school and I was sitting outside waiting for my mum when I got talking to him about how Mac was going," Ted said.

"He told me about what was going on and the separation they were experiencing and it just hit me differently.

"So I went home that night and started researching what I could do. I looked at the route from Sydney to Armidale and I thought I might be able to run that so I went out and told mum and dad my idea and they were really supportive of it."

Despite never running a half-marathon before, let alone 25km back to back each day for 20 days, Ted kicked off Miles 4 Mac on April 24 in Sydney to raise funds and awareness for his mate Mac.

"Mac thought the idea was awesome, he was pretty speechless when I first pitched him the idea," Ted said.

Cormac 'Mac' Downes was a healthy, active kid whose life was turned upside down in late 2023 when he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

On November 15, Mac was airlifted to Newcastle for tests when a large tumour between his T3 and T6 vertebrae was found.

Four months on, Mac has spent countless hours in rehabilitation and is currently on this third round of chemotherapy but his courage has not wavered.

While the cancer has shrunk almost entirely, the road to beating cancer still lies ahead.

Receiving treatment at the Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, Mac and his family are a long way from their hometown of Uralla.

Recognising this, Miles 4 Mac aims to ease the challenges on Mac's family but also other regional families in a similar predicament by raising funds for non-for-profit charity Win the Day.

Win the Day supports families experiencing rare childhood cancers with accommodation, meal assistance and treatment grants to alleviate financial and emotional stress.

"When the Downes family first got to Sydney, Win the Day helped them during that unsettling time," Ted said.

As of May 4, Ted had run more than 265km, raising $25,179 along the way.

"I never really had a money goal, we just thought if we could raise as much money as we could that would be awesome," he said.

"We got going and we didn't have a lot of interest at the start but then suddenly everyone started donating which is awesome."

With the stretch from Muswellbrook to Armidale remaining, Ted said his feet are 'feeling pretty good with no blisters'.

While he plans to reach The Armidale School in time for the Monday morning bell on May 13, Ted's unsure whether he'll make it to English first period.

If you'd like to donate to keep up to date with Ted's run visit the Miles 4 Mac website or follow @miles4mac on Instagram.