In memory of Madoc
The story of a boy whose spirit still moves us all
The Madoc Benfell Memorial Trust was born from loss and grief. Our beloved son, Madoc, passed away by suicide on 26th March 2021 - aged 13 years.
No other human on earth will ever replicate his humour, warmth, kindness, humble nature and his enthusiasm for a good adventure.
Nestled amongst nature, and adventuring in the great outdoors was Madoc’s happy place. He simply came alive when he was moving. No hesitation, and certainly no fear.
His enthusiasm was so infectious, it would never take long for everyone around him to join in his joy.
From grief, a purpose
How the Madoc Benfell Memorial Trust came to be
From our deep sadness, the Trust aims to infuse hope in young people across Wellington.
We are currently working closely with Newlands College to help fund outdoor opportunities for young people for whom the financial barrier to participation is just too high.
The challenge: 60km for Madoc
One trail, two days, a family running for something bigger
This is where the challenge comes in! Over the 4th and 5th of December this year, myself and a very small crew will be running the 60km Abel Tasman track over two days.
We are aiming to raise $20,000 for The Madoc Benfell Memorial Trust, and so far we have raised $9,000 towards our goal.
Why this matters
A personal journey of strength, healing, and advocacy
A bit about me! I’m Madoc’s mum, and I’ve never run further than 10km in my life! After recovering from major surgery last year, I was unable to run for 6 months. So, when I had clearance to run again, it was literally for 1 minute blocks, with 2 minute rest periods in between. Since January, I’ve built from that to 12km, so progress is happening!
Why Abel Tasman? It’s where we made some of our happiest family memories, back when our family was whole. Taking on this challenge with me are Madoc’s dad, Mike, his older sister, Vittoria, and his identical twin, Finlay—each of them will join me to run parts of the track.
We haven’t had the courage to return to Abel Tasman until now; I always imagined it would be a place we’d revisit together over the years as a family, but in December we’ll go back, this time without our beautiful boy. It will be deeply emotional, but part of the reason for this challenge is to show myself that I’m stronger than the pain that tried to break me.
It's been excruciating to carry on without Madoc but somewhere deep inside I just know he’d have wanted the adventures to continue, so this one is absolutely for our boy.
Speaking up, reaching out
Sharing the hard parts to create space for hope and healing
This journey is also about speaking up about traumatic child loss.
I’ve been sharing aspects on our social media in a series of videos, and it has been incredible to receive the messages that have started coming through.
Complete strangers thanking me for advocating and “making many positive differences in our community” - this is truly about so much more than just a 60km run.
Help us make a difference
Your support will create adventures and memories for others
The money we raise will enable us to fund many school adventures, and we are keen to get out into the lower decile schools in our area and see where we can make a difference.
If you're able to contribute, you can do so here.
