Queen of Hearts’ epic run and ride for health

Media release: Wednesday 19 February 2025

200 days, 20,000km, $2 million

An Adelaide woman whose mum almost died from heart disease is set to embark on an extraordinary round-the-country run-ride odyssey, covering 20,000 kilometres in 200 days.

Dawn Beaumont’s Queen of Hearts run and ride aims to raise $2 million to be shared equally between the Heart Foundation and the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS).

Starting at Park 10 in Adelaide on February 25, the 40-year-old runner and cyclist’s epic duathlon – an Australian first - will see her crossing every state and territory in Australia, raising awareness for heart health and remote medical support across the nation.

“For me it’s not about the distance, it's about the cause. By running, riding, and running some more, I’m hoping to highlight the importance of heart health and the need for better medical support in remote areas,” she said.

Along the way Dawn will:

• Cross every state and territory in the country, visiting each capital city.
• Stop at 184 towns (and pass through many more).
• Cycle a distance equivalent to four times the journey between Sydney and Perth.
• Run a distance equivalent to four times the journey between Sydney and Perth.
• Go through 16 pairs of runners.
• Consume about 33,500 kilojoules (8,000 calories) daily, almost four times the recommended average.

Dawn was inspired to hit the road – her daily schedule will include a 15km run, 80km ride and 7km run – after her family’s own near-tragedy.

“In September of 2013, my mother Janet went into cardiac arrest after having a heart attack. We were at the Crown Theatre in Perth about to watch a show, and she wasn’t feeling well,” she said.

“After getting my mother out of the theatre into the foyer she collapsed, and I performed CPR to revive her. Luckily, she survived.”

Janet was 53 years old and had a major blockage in an artery. She would require surgery for a stent.

“After that, Mum had monthly appointments with her cardiologists and underwent a gastric sleeve procedure 12 months post-heart attack to reduce her weight. She lost 60kg and quit smoking,” Dawn said.

But a lifestyle change wasn’t something Janet immediately embraced. Speaking on the Heart Foundation’s ‘Stories from the Heart’ podcast, Janet said the journey toward good health was gradual.

She was surprised too when her surgeon told her scarring on her heart suggested she’d had a heart attack prior to the one that had landed her in hospital. Janet was told to cast her mind back. She now believes there was a time before her collapse when she’d had a heart attack over two days but ignored the warning signs.

Even after the shock news from the surgeon, she was in denial: “I was still thinking, you know, ‘oh, I'm getting old, it’s a hot flush, I ate something bad, I've got carpal tunnel’.”

With a family history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) – Janet’s father died at 34 years of age from an aortic aneurysm – Dawn knows the risks people often choose to ignore. She chose the moniker ‘Queen of Hearts’ for that very fact: “Most of us are gambling with our health and don't prioritise it.”

Husband Kurt and the couple’s dog - Shih Tzu-Maltese cross, Archie - will also be along for the ride (in a vehicle, not on a bike), offering emotional and logistical support. Dawn also has a strong team of supporters, including Janet, and dad, John.

Heart Foundation CEO David Lloyd, who will run and ride with Dawn on her first day, said he was inspired by the Queen of Hearts Run & Ride’s bold vision.

"Everything about Dawn’s commitment to this remarkable fundraiser inspires me – it's such a huge and impressive thing to commit to doing. This kind of thing is so important for us, because at the Heart Foundation we rely on donations from the community to fund everything we do,” he said.

“The role of fundraisers, not least of all exceptional ones like Dawn, is crucial in spreading awareness and growing our community of long-term, regular supporters. This support allows the Heart Foundation to continue our heart health initiatives, including research, education, and community programs aimed at preventing and managing heart disease for all people in Australia, benefiting people impacted by heart disease now and in the future.”

Dawn has already raised tens of thousands of dollars on her way toward that grand $2 million total. She’s also been overwhelmed with the support offered by individuals and businesses across the country.

Want to get behind the cause? Go to: https://www.dawnbeaumont.com.au/donate