A NEWCASTLE-born event designed to raise awareness about and funds to fight domestic violence is being celebrated across the country.
Got Your Back Sista founder Melissa Histon said 726 people - up from 400 last year - registered to participate in I Run For Her over the weekend, which allowed participants to run or walk any distance and location of their choosing.
A few more made a donation on the day and joined in. Funds raised will be used to provide women and children fleeing violence with resources, tools and information to begin again.
Ms Histon said the mother and friends of Mackenzie Anderson, 21 - who died at her Mayfield home on March 25 after allegedly being stabbed by her former partner - were in a group walk of 22 from Byron Bay's peace pole to the lighthouse and back on Saturday.
"We had a moment to stop and talk about why we were doing this and why it was important for us to put on the shirts and do the I Run For Her walk," Ms Histon said.
"We acknowledged Mackenzie and that her family were there and that was very emotional, everyone got very teary.
"I said before we did the walk 'It's going to be tough that last bit but you think about all the women trying to escape domestic violence or living with domestic violence and how tough they have it, so when you're pushing through that really hard climb think about all those women and how we want to support them to get through their hard climb'."
She said about 300 people on Sunday used Empire Park at Bar Beach as a start and end point to their own walks or runs.
"There was a real sense of community," she said.
"When people arrived after they had done their walk you could see them running and raising their arms in the air like they'd achieved something.
"Women were talking about how they'd been in an abusive relationship at sometime in their life and they were saying 'We need to do something' but then there were also people saying 'I had a sister who had an abusive boyfriend so we need to come and support them'.
"The more people speak out about it, the more people who are experiencing it, they're encouraged to speak out about it... and the more people call it out."
Ms Histon said another 100 gathered to walk around Maitland Park and there were also group walks around Lake Macquarie.
She said one man ran a half marathon through McLaren Vale for his sister.
She said she was "heartened" by the event's growth.
"It gives me hope for the future that people care enough to get involved... that it's the beginning of change happening.
"I know it's probably a long time before domestic violence ends altogether, but it really gives me hope that we can see some change in the future."
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