Here at runladylike.com, Fridays are about sharing the inspiring stories of fit people who motivate all of us to be better tomorrow than we were yesterday. My Friday FITspiration series profiles runners, triathletes and casual exercisers who are making choices every day to be as healthy as they can be – in both huge ways and through simple, small victories.

Today, I’d like you to meet Christopher (Tofe) Evans and Anthony (Ant) Sedman. This dynamic Australian duo, known as the Wounded Pelicans, is running more than 1,500 miles this year and competing in numerous races to raise money for the Cancer Council Queensland. After completing their first marathon together last year, their desire to keep running and to dedicate their miles to an important cause has blossomed into a personal movement that is touching people across Australia and around the globe. I had a chance to sit down with Tofe to learn more about how these two everyday runners are using their miles to change the world.

rUnladylike: You and your friend Anthony have decided to run 2,500+ kilometers (1,550+ miles) this year to raise money for the Cancer Council Queensland. How did you two meet and what inspired you to start running? 
Tofe: Ant and I have known each other since we were 15 in high school. We both started running to get fit after living a wild and rambunctious party lifestyle. We became really curious about the sport and obsessed with seeing how far we could push our bodies. We ran eight events last year and decided to keep it up this year, dedicating our runs to charity for the feeling of gratitude. Initially, we had 13 events planned but expect to complete 40 and are on target to run more than 2,500 kilometers by the end of the year.

rUnladylike: You refer to yourselves as the Wounded Pelicans. Where did that name come from?
Tofe: Initially, the name came from school. We decided to roll with it because it’s goofy like us. However, as the year has gone on our events have gotten crazier, we’ve realized we’re kind of emulating a pod of pelicans in the sense that a pelican can “hold more in its beak.” It correlates to how we can hold more than a normal person running back-to-back events (40 in total this year), including multiple 100-km events. There have been times this year where injury would come about, so that’s where the “wounded” part comes into play.

rUnladylike: What has been your favorite running or racing moment so far this year? 
Tofe: Meeting all the inspirational people along the way has been our favorite moment. We’ve realized that everyone has their own inspiring story. Whether it’s a single dad who has lost 80 pounds so he can be fitter for his children, or a couple of mums looking at becoming active and being part of the running community, or a man who’s running for his mental health … or even two guys like us who just wanted to get fit and see how far we can push our bodies.

rUnladylike: You two are running races of all distances, including a 100-kilometer run. What distance do you enjoy most and why? 
Tofe: Definitely the long ones. Probably the 100 kilometer ultra-marathons to be exact. Something about triple digits gets me going, but being able to push through the mental demons for such a long period of time gives me the mental strength to really push through anything. When you finish a race of that magnitude, the only thing you care about is food, shelter and water. You don’t care what house or car you have. It makes you appreciate everything you have. It also reduces complaining because after running 100 kilometers, you’ve just completed the toughest thing that day. Any problem you come across seems like nothing after that. If there is adversity, you know you can deal with it much better because it’s not much different than running for an extensive period of time where you’re constantly fighting mental demons.

rUnladylike: What is your inspiration for dedicating all your miles to charity?
Tofe: Raising money for someone who needs it more gives us the impetus to see how far we can push our bodies and keeps our internal motivational flame going. Plus, we want to make a difference in this world. One race at a time we will.

rUnladylike: What’s the next big running goal you two want to achieve?
Tofe: We’re currently planning a 1,000+ kilometer run in the space of 12 days for our first event in January. I can’t disclose too much just yet but will definitely keep you updated.

rUnladylike: How can people learn more about your journey? 

• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/thewoundedpelicans
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/thewoundedpelicans
• Blog: http://thewoundedpelicans.com/
• Online Donation Page: https://give.everydayhero.com/au/the-wounded-pelicans

The Wounded Pelicans recently featured five inspirational runners from across the globe, including yours truly. You can see the article and my answers to their questions here.

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Do you know someone with an inspiring story that should be featured on Friday FITspiration? If so, email runladylike@gmail.com.

What inspires you most about the Wounded Pelican’s running journey? If you’ve ever run or raced to benefit a charity, tell us about your experience and what it meant to you.