'My motivation is fierce': The real reason behind Sylvia Jeffreys' marathon ambition

I was one kilometre away from the finish line of a marathon I had no business running.

It had been an absolute, hamstring-straining slog. Five hours of physical and psychological punishment.

But it was almost over, I'd almost completed my mission impossible and as I rounded the corner of Macquarie Street for the final downhill sprint to the Opera House, I was buoyed by the sight of my run club friends (who'd finished more than an hour ago) waving and cheering me on.

READ MORE: The royal tradition that comes into effect on Prince George's 12th birthday

They seemed as surprised as I was that I'd made it this far, but their joyful encouragement gave me a boost nonetheless.

Just as I noticed my back straightening and legs lightening, I felt another unexpected sensation. An ankle tap. From a stranger. Who got an inch too close.

It was a minor collision but it sent me crashing to the ground.

Resting on all fours, I mentally scanned my body for physical injuries. Thankfully there weren't any. The humiliation, however, was crippling and so was the fear of it all ending like this.

As I got back up on my feet, I felt a more familiar sensation. A clamp on my chest, my lungs tightening, my breath shortening.

I was having a panic attack beside a drink station where a kind volunteer was offering me electrolytes.

Gatorade sadly wasn't going to help. I knew I'd have to box breathe my way out of this embarrassment.

In for four, hold for four, out for four. I repeated that pattern over and over until the clamp gradually lifted, my breath grew stronger and I had enough energy to thank the Gatorade guy for his kind offer and continue on my path to the finish line.

When I lined up for the start of that Sydney marathon last year I did so with low expectations of what I might achieve. My preparation had been poor to say the least.

A recurring knee injury derailed my training program, as I found it hard to run more than two kilometres without searing pain across my patella.

No amount of rolling, ice bathing or sweating in a sauna seemed to help. But I'd committed to the event, so one way or another I was going to turn up.

READ MORE: Real story behind Melania Trump and Michelle Obama's awkward gift exchange

With only a few weeks to go, in a last ditch effort, I tried a knee brace (yes, I am aware in hindsight that I should have tried this sooner) and all of a sudden I was running again.

However, by this stage, it was so late in the program that I could only build up to a maximum of 10 kilometres per run.

Note to reader: A marathon is 42.2km so preparing with a 10km training session is a bit like doing a weekly grocery shop without a list; reckless and likely to end in tears (when you forget the milk and bananas).

But here we are, one year later, and I'm equally delighted and surprised to say my training is on track for the 2025 Sydney Marathon.

With my knee brace doing its thing, I've followed the training program increasing my mileage week by week, most recently completing a 30 kilometre training run.

READ MORE: Bridesmaid drops out of wedding over bride's 'unreasonable' request

I'm doing all the things that crazy runners do; getting up at 4.30am on Saturdays, bulk buying gels, eating gels (ugh), road testing socks, and googling local running tracks when I travel for work.

The obsession is real and this year my motivation is fierce.

I'll be running for national charity, Youngcare, which is celebrating 20 years of impact in 2025.

Over two decades, Youngcare has built bright, modern homes and provided life changing grants to young Australians living with complex physical disabilities.

When Youngcare was established in 2005, the only accommodation option for a young person who needed 24 hour care was a nursing home.

Today, thanks to Youngcare's powerful advocacy there are many options that provide dignity, choice and independence to a young adult who wants and deserves to live a young life.

But for Youngcare to keep doing what it does so well, it relies on community support and young people like Kade depend on it.

At just 20, living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Kade faced challenges finding accessible housing.

The apartment he previously shared with his dad was unsafe, with essential daily tasks like using the bathroom becoming dangerous.

Desperate for a solution, Kade and his dad turned to Youngcare, where Kade found the home he always dreamed of where he enjoys the independence he longed for.

For others, a simple grant to modify the family home can keep them from slipping into inappropriate housing.

Youngcare's grants program addresses the gaps that the NDIS can't fill and on average costs around $6,000 per grant - so that's the target I've set for fundraising.

If together we can give the gift of choice to one more Australian, then every Saturday alarm, every gel, and every gruelling step of the 42.2km race will be well and truly worth it.

Sylvia's fundraising link for Youngcare is here.

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.