Born to Run

A gorgeous picture book that will inspire girls and boys everywhere to chase their dreams.

As a little girl, Cathy Freeman had only had one dream – to win a gold medal at the Olympics. At twenty-seven years old, that dream came true. At the Sydney 2000 Games, she crossed the finish line, won a gold medal for Australia and became a national hero. How did she go from being a little girl who loved to run to an inspiration to people around the world?

Accompanied by beautiful illustrations by Charmaine Ledden-Lewis, Cathy tells her story about where self belief, hard work and the power of a loving family can take you.

About the Authors

Cathy Freeman is a Kuku Yalanji and Birri Gubba woman and lives in Melbourne, Victoria, with her family. Cathy won her first race in primary school – the 80m dash at St Joseph’s Primary, Mackay, Queensland. She went on to become one of Australia’s leading athletes of the modern era. Her unforgettable win at the 2000 Sydney Olympics was the highlight of a brilliant career that has included a host of Commonwealth Games medals, two world titles and an Olympic silver medal. Cathy announced her retirement from athletics in July 2003. She founded the Cathy Freeman Foundation in 2007. The Foundation supports Indigenous students to fulfil their potential and reach their goals.

Charmaine Ledden-Lewis is a Blue Mountains artist, and descendant of the Bundjalung people on the Clarence River in Northern NSW. She was the recipient of the Kestin Indigenous Illustrator award in 2019. The beautiful and moving illustrations for her first picture book Found (with author Bruce Pascoe) reflect her own family’s experience of the Stolen Generation. She lives in the Blue Mountains in NSW with her family.