Kerryn McCann

Kerryn McCann competed in three Olympic marathons, but her biggest championships came in winning the Commonwealth Games marathon in both 2002 and 2006. She was a top campaigner on the international marathon circuit, placing fifth at London in 2000, third at Chicago in 2001, fourth at Osaka in 2002, and sixth at New York in 2002. McCann won her Commonwealth gold in 2006 by outsprinting Hellen Cherono (KEN) on the track of the Melbourne Cricket Grounds. It would be McCann’s last marathon. Early in 2007, she was diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant. She refused to begin chemotherapy treatment while pregnant, instead waiting until she delivered a healthy baby boy. She then began her chemo. Within in a year, cancer was also discovered in her liver and she died slightly over a year after her diagnosis.

Personal Best: Mar – 2-25:59 (2000).