Challenging yourself for inspiration

Can Too has been inspiring people to raise money for cancer since 2005 by helping them train to run a marathon, half marathon, 10km or swim an ocean swim. Having raised almost $6 million in this time, the Can Too team are certainly making a massive difference to many people’s lives. The program doesn’t just benefit cancer sufferers – the process of testing their limits and achieving something they never thought possible has all manner of benefits for the participants. No one exemplifies this as much as Laura Watts; check out her story.

Age: 27
Job: Communications Consultant
Running Cred: 1 x Marathon, City2Surf and currently in the Can Too 2.5km ocean swim programme


“I’ve always been someone that takes up a challenge and I like being pushed to my mental and physical limits. That’s what originally inspired me to run the marathon but Can Too soon became so much more than another box that I could tick.

Since October last year I have been going through what I call my quarter-life crisis. I had lost my way in the world and was unsure about what I wanted out of life and what life was really about. I was depressed and suffering from anxiety. Some days just getting out of bed was an effort. Can Too was like a beacon of light during this time. It gave me a sense of purpose, a sense of meaning and it connected me to a group of people who had big hearts and a lot of love to share around.

It was a couple of weeks into the Can Too program when the magnitude of what Annie and her cohort of mentors, coaches and team captains are achieving really sunk in. Can Too isn’t just about raising money for cancer and it’s not just about running and swimming. Can Too is building a community of people that work together for a greater good.

Achieving my goal and having such an enjoyable marathon planted a seed in my mind and a thirst to continue running. I think Can Too sets extremely achievable goals. There were so many non-Can Tooers that went out really hard in the marathon but started struggling around the 20km mark. That’s when Can Tooers really start to shine because they know how to pace and they’ve got the kilometres under their legs. My friends and family all commented that the Can Too runners always had a smile on their face.

[Through Can Too] I have learned that from little things big things grow. The first long run I did with Can Too was 14km. Twenty weeks later I ran a marathon. If you start small and build up step-by-step you can achieve anything. Look at Annie. It only took one dream and one person to start Can Too and now it’s raised nearly $6million to cure cancer. If you can draw together the collective power of the human spirit to help you achieve your dream then I believe you can take on the world.

[I now feel] that I can achieve whatever I put my mind to. If I could capture the sense of determination and purpose that I experienced during the marathon and transfer it to other aspects of my life I know I would be stoked. I haven’t quite figured out how to do that yet but the important thing is that I got a glimpse of what is possible and within my reach.”

Check out Laura’s inspirational video:

Can Too provides professional training in both running and swimming. In return, you fundraise for Cure Cancer Australia - to date, they have raised nearly $6 million, an incredible achievement! For more info or join the program in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, go to the Can Too website.