Cancer is on

By Justin Robertson
The breast cancer survivor and her nine-year-old border collie Maggie are endeavouring to become the first female and first dog to run around Australia in a bid to raise $300,000 for the National Breast Cancer foundation.
The News caught up with her on Monday night after she ran from Warragul to Pakenham.
Ms De Williams was exhausted and sweaty after completing 388 days straight of running more than 50 kilometres per day, but had a large smile on her face as she walked into the shopping centre surrounded by her family and a handful of supporters.
As of Monday night, Ms De Williams had raised $214,000.
“Why am I doing it? It’s because of days like today,” she said.
The Tasmanian told the News that a woman ran a five-kilometre stretch along the highway with her on Monday.
“The amazing thing was, that woman had cancer and was starting chemotherapy treatment that evening,” she said. “To have someone do that with me, being in her position, she was just a true champion.”
After cooling her heels at the Pakenham Caravan Park, Ms De Williams travelled from Pakenham to Springvale on Tuesday, followed by Federation Square on Wednesday before jumping aboard the Spirit of Tasmania to complete her record-breaking effort back where she started in Hobart.
Asked if she would be resting her aching feet for a while, Ms De Williams replied: “Yes, definitely. But I’ll always raise funds for people undergoing cancer treatment and there will always be a run or something to do.”