One step. Then another.
That's how it always starts.
One conversation. One promise. One run. One day — One month. One year. One decade.
In September 2012, two school friends made a promise. Caroline had cancer. Vanessa had just been for a run. One offered to run every single day until the other was done fighting. That was Day 1. outruncancer grew from that promise — a community for everyone facing cancer, and everyone who loves someone through it.
Why #outruncancer
#outruncancer started as a promise between two high school friends, Caroline Steer and Vanessa Oshima. Both from the small town of Matamata, New Zealand (you may know their town as the "shire" in Lord Of The Rings). Vanessa lives in Japan and Caroline in New Zealand. They had lost touch with each other. In September of 2012 Caroline was starting a fight with breast cancer, and Vanessa promised to run 5km every day until she was "ned" (No Evidence of Disease). Everyday Vanessa ran in Japan and Caroline fought cancer in New Zealand. Then in February of 2017, Vanessa was delivered a cancer diagnosis herself. Caroline started running for Vanessa. So now the two of them lace up everyday to #outruncancer.
Vanessa and Caroline have learned first hand what it is to have cancer and support someone with cancer. They learned so much about so many things; about cancer and the physical and mental battle, the power of community, the healing that running and exercise brings. They learned to change their mindset and move forward against cancer.
our #outruncancer goals
The goals of #outruncancer are to encourage people to keep moving forward together, stay healthy, claim back their health, speed their recovery, lower cancer risk and improve their overall quality of life. In short our goals with #outruncancer are to RAISE FUNDS to be able to help people:
01. Get Moving
Raising funds for a "get moving" box for patients as the first step to building exercise (running) routines into their recovery plans.
02. Get Connected
Running events that bring survivors and supporters together as a comunity that can work together to #outruncancer and improve quality of life for those impacted.
03. Get Inspired
Stories, books and information from survivors and supporters to help navigate the blur of a cancer diagnosis.
Books
The Bucket - A Journey To Finding Joy
An illustrated book inspired by the learnings of 10 years of running for Caroline. Written by Vanessa O'Brien and illustrated by Nicolas Boutiliere about living lost — and finding your way back. One small step at a time.
Available now in English. Coming soon in Japanese and French!
Diary Of #LifeLearningsFromRunning
A collection of the real life learnings from 3,003 days of running.
Coming September 2026.
Conversations running deeper than the track. Real stories, raw focus, and ongoing community check-ins.
Experience the core message and compact life insights framing the foundational journey of outruncancer.
An in-depth, comprehensive look into the deeper mental and emotional growth cultivated across 5,000 continuous running days.
outruncancer proudly hosts a community running event supporting Maggie's Cancer Care Japan. Structural alignment and booking paths are arriving shortly.
Marking the official 14th anniversary of the lifetime running promise. Every single kilometer runs dedicated to the collective fight against cancer.