Going 10 rounds to conquer cancer

Josh Marris is a man on a mission: he’s playing 10 rounds of golf in 24 hours at Victoria Park Golf Club from 6am on Friday 23 September to raise valuable funds for cancer research.

While Josh lives and breathes golf each and every day as a member of the Australian PGA, his upcoming 24 hour golf challenge is a very personal one.

“When my mother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, just days after my aunty had her final chemo treatment for the same thing, I decided I wanted to set myself a challenge and raise money for the Queensland Institute of Medical Research’s (QIMR) cancer program,” Josh said.

“I felt I wanted to do something that would challenge me mentally and physically, especially given the challenge that is ahead for my Mum with chemotherapy and radium treatment and the rollercoaster ride my aunt has had during the past six months with her treatment.”

Josh will play golf continuously for 24 hours at the Victoria Park Golf Complex, aiming to complete 10 rounds.

“The idea of this challenge is to test myself physically and mentally, pushing my body to its limits and experiencing fatigue in a way I’ve never felt before,” Josh said.

“I will be playing the course without the help of buggies, so it is estimated that I will walk a total distance of 60 kilometres over the 24 hours.

“It will be a big challenge, but it is small compared to the challenge people battling cancer face and it is my way of helping fight that battle. Raising funds for QIMR is my contribution to helping find better ways of preventing and possibly curing cancer.”

Funds raised by Josh will support ground-breaking QIMR research into a range of cancers including breast and ovarian cancer, bowel cancer, blood cancers such as leukaemia, brain cancer and skin cancers including melanoma.

Josh will tee off at 6am and approximately every three hours thereafter.