There was little time for rest for Crows midfielder Anne Hatchard at the end of the 2023 AFLW season, as she flew to the US in January, with the aim of running the Louisiana Marathon to raise money for the Adelaide Crows Foundation’s Open Parachute Youth Mental Health program.

Although things didn’t go to plan and she was unable to run the full marathon, Hatchy was still able to win the Louisiana quarter marathon and raise more than $5000 for Open Parachute, allowing over 300 additional children to take part in the program this year.

Hear from Hatchy, as the three-time Club Champion gives fans an update on how she went.

A big thankyou to everyone who donated to the Open Parachute program and supported my run!

Although it didn’t go exactly to plan, it was a great experience, and I was super happy to raise money for a cause so close to my heart.

After our AFLW season came to an end, I had a couple of niggles following a big preliminary final against North Melbourne.

But anyone who knows me knows I can’t keep still for long, so I couldn’t help myself and pretty much a week after our last game I was back out there training.

I worked with our High-Performance team to get a program made and over the next couple of weeks, I built up my running load and even hit 30ks one week.

Unfortunately, about three days before we were due to fly out, I was going for another 30k run and at the 18k mark I felt a pull in my knee.

I quickly saw the doctor and he explained my it (iliotibial) band was too tight, and I needed to rest.

The last thing I wanted to do was push it too hard and destroy my body in the off-season, so three days out I decided to switch from the full marathon to the quarter marathon.

I had no expectations for the race, I just wanted to get through the run.

The start of the race was quite chilly, but I was moving quite quickly, and I really surprised myself!

It was a great atmosphere, there were so many people cheering me on.

I got through the race which was a huge tick, and I was even the first female finisher and finished 4^th overall, which was pretty cool.

Although I’m disappointed I couldn’t run the whole 42km, it was great to raise more than $5000 for Open Parachute, which will go directly to ensuring more children can participate in the program. 

At this stage there are no plans to try to run another marathon as pre-season is right around the corner, and I need to focus on getting my body ready for my ninth AFLW season.

I will still be involved with Open Parachute program and now I’m back from my trip, I’m looking forward to getting back out in schools and continuing to share my own personal experiences with overcoming challenges and building resilience.

Learn more about the Crows Open Parachute program here.