An extraordinary display of community grit and heart took over Byford as a local gym pushed through a gruelling 24-hour marathon workout, drawing its energy from the quiet strength of WA’s most inspiring children.
Life’s Peachy Fit held an ambitious 24-hour fundraiser for Telethon over the weekend, opening its doors around the clock to run a fresh session every hour, on the hour.
Each of the 24 workouts were named after a Little Telethon Star dating back to 2019, with the specific exercises, repetitions, and intensity crafted to reflect the courage and daily perseverance of each child’s health journey.
Kicking off the marathon event as the special guest for workout number one was 2025 Little Telethon Star Xavier Summers, who lives with cerebral palsy.
For many living with severe physical challenges, the daily reality involves navigating pain, medical visits, and physical limitations that most people could hardly imagine.
Yet, for nine-year-old Xavier and children like him, those hurdles are met not with complaint, but with an unwavering, infectious joy for life.
Alongside gym owner Ben Luckens, Xavier tackled dumbbell snatches, the ski ergometer and shuttle runs — effortlessly lifting the spirits of everyone in the room.
His mother, Lesa Summers, said hearing a gym had created a workout specifically in honour of her son was incredibly heartwarming.
“When I found out a gym I had never heard of had organised a workout named after Xavier, I was very excited,” Ms Summers said.
“Xavier had an absolute blast. He really does enjoy working out, especially when he has so many people cheering him on. He did the ski machine, dumbbell snatches, and some running alongside Ben.
“It’s so heartwarming to see gyms such as Life’s Peachy Fit doing these kinds of fundraising — the community all coming together for an amazing day of fun and fitness all while raising money for Telethon.
“Telethon means so much to our family and many, many others, providing so many opportunities for our kids and helping them reach their absolute potential.”
Life’s Peachy Fit director Ben Luckens said hosting the marathon event was a deeply personal milestone for his team.
“We’ve always wanted to do something for Telethon,” Mr Luckens said.
“As soon as we decided that 2026 was the year for Telethon, I thought it would be extremely special to create a workout inspired by a Telethon Star’s journey.
“So every hour, we read the Telethon Star workout and inspired ourselves to complete each workout in honour of these amazing stars.”
Mr Luckens said watching Xavier tackle the workout alongside adults was a profound reminder of true resilience.
“It was honestly one of the most inspiring things I’ve seen as a dad myself,” he said.
“The way he handled adversity, his absolute love for life, and the amount of joy on his face surrounded by hundreds of people was something I’ll cherish forever.
“One of my team members asked if he was OK or if he wanted to stop. She laughed as he said back to her, ‘I’m OK thank you, my mumma didn’t raise no quitter’. What a little legend!”
Xavier’s boundless determination proved to be the ultimate fuel for gymgoers pushing through sleep deprivation and physical exhaustion in the dead of night.
“I heard from another member that he was thinking of slowing down as he was tired and sore, then he looked over to see Xavier working hard on our shuttle runs and it inspired him to push past the pain,” Mr Luckens said.
“Xavier inspired hundreds of people at our fundraiser. It was truly remarkable.”
Every dollar raised through the 24-hour event will go directly toward Telethon to support sick children and their families across WA.
So far the Life’s Peachy Fit team have raised more than $17,200 for Telethon.