White Ribbon Ultra Marathon 2014

In 2014 I completed the White Ribbon Ultra Marathon, a 860 kilometre solo run through regional NSW to raise awareness and start a conversation about domestic violence. I ran the equivalent of 20 marathons in 12 days, in the hottest November in 57 years. With the incredible support of the NSW Police Force and more than 80 supporting organisations, we held seven community events en route and achieved amazing media coverage and community engagement on the topic. While the run may have been completed in 2014, our efforts to break the silence continue to snowball every day, through the establishment of Run Against Violence.

A film called ICEBERG was created about the run. A special edition of ICEBERG screened on Compass on ABC TV . The story is the result of eight years of learning to be a runner, three years of breathing life into this project, 140 film production days, investment by over 80 supporting organisations and 60 crowd-funders, and countless lifetimes of experience openly and honestly shared.

Selected Media & Stories

Featured
Film follows Kirrily’s run to end violence

HEART-WRENCHING stories in a documentary about one woman’s journey through western NSW to help stop violence against women has rocked the Hunter to its core.

The audience at Newcastle Museum held its breath as the film, called Iceberg, followed Kirrily Dear’s 860-kilometre run from Walgett to Forbes last year and captured some of the violent episodes women and children in country towns endure.

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Ultramarathon run shatters silence about domestic violence

At 4.30am on the fifth day of her 850km run to raise awareness of domestic violence, ultramarathon runner Kirrily Dear opened her email to find a message from a woman who was unable to walk as a result of domestic abuse.  “Your journey keeps me motivated for the future,” the woman wrote in her email to Kirrily. 

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Aussie Woman Running Ultramarathon To Campaign Against Domestic Violence

On 14 November, one determined woman, Kirrily Dear, will begin an 860km run through regional NSW, Australia to raise funds and to get people thinking about what they can do to end violence against women.

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Runner shedding light on violence against women

NEVER shying away from a long slog, one ultra-marathon runner is tightening her shoelaces and racing through the region to shed a light on the ongoing epidemic of violence against women. 

After learning of the horrifying statistics surrounding violence against women – one Australian woman is killed every week by an intimate partner, and two out of three women will experience some form of violence in their lifetime – runner Kirrily Dear decided to do what she does best to make a difference. 

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Kirrily's marathon effort against domestic violence

Kirrily Dear will complete a 12-day, 860 kilometre, multi-stage ultra marathon through regional NSW to raise awareness for men’s violence against women.

She will be running for the White Ribbon foundation.The run begins on November 14 at Walgett, she’ll be in Dubbo on the 22 and 23 and finishes in Forbes on November 25.

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ICEBERG Documentary

A documentary called ICEBERG' was made about the White Ribbon Ultra Marathon, funded by Run Against Violence.  The purpose of the documentary was to provide an engaging film to start conversations about intimate partner violence.  The documentary was screened on ABC Compass and is  available to schools via the ClickShare platform.  Through community screenings and the television broadcast, it is estimated that over 500,000 people have viewed ICEBERG.