Kerryn McCann

Kerryn McCann ( Hindmarsh; 2 May 1967 – 7 December 2008) was an Australian athlete. She was best known for winning the marathon at the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Personal life McCann was born Kerryn Hindmarsh in Bulli, New South Wales, in 1967.

In 1991 she married Greg McCann, a surfer who represented Australia twice in international competition, and was Australian champion in 1983. Their first son Benton, was born in 1997; daughter Josie was born in 2003. She had surgery to remove the lump and was later induced, giving birth to son Cooper on 5 September 2007 (6 weeks premature). She then began a 20-week course of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Cooper spent several weeks in a neonatal ward, undergoing steroid treatment, to aid the growth of his lungs. "It was really hard seeing him with the tubes and drip and monitor - this tiny baby," McCann said, two months after his birth.

However, by May 2008 the cancer had spread to her liver. McCann died at her home on 7 December 2008, surrounded by her family.

Athletics career McCann had an early interest in athletics, winning the New South Wales primary school cross country championship in 1979. However, McCann gave up competitive athletics until taking it up again near the end of high school, running her first marathon at the age of seventeen. At age 19 she ran the marathon at the Australian Championships, placing 3rd.

McCann again took a break from competition for the birth of her daughter, before commencing training in late 2003 and returning to competition in 2004, competing in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, finishing 31st in the marathon.

In 2005, she won the 14 kilometre, City to Surf in a time of 46 minutes 27 seconds.

At the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, at the age of thirty-eight, McCann defended her Commonwealth title, winning gold in the marathon in a time of 2:30:54, just two seconds ahead of Kenyan, Hellen Cherono Koskei. The lead changed six times in the final two kilometres of the race, before McCann pulled clear in the final two hundred metres around the athletics track inside the Melbourne Cricket Ground. McCann described the race as "probably the greatest victory I've ever had, or the greatest race I've ever run." In October 2015, Sport Australia Hall of Fame awarded her performance as one of its Great Sporting Moments.

Achievements All results regarding marathon, unless stated otherwise

Personal bests 5000 metres: 15:08.69 (2000 - Australian record) 10000 metres 31.55.94 (1999) Half marathon: 1:07.48 (2000 - Australian record) Marathon: 2:25.59 (2000)