The 27-year-old, who has cerebral palsy, first embarked on the marathon last year.

She completed a significant portion of the course, which follows the former rail trail from Bendigo to Heathcote, with the assistance of a team of runners and an aide.

This year she not only hopes to make the full 42-kilometre distance, but has paved the way for other people with disabilities to get involved. 

Four teams of runners and passengers will partake in the event on Sunday.

The capacity boost was in part due to the support of Healthy Mates, a health and conditioning complex in Bendigo, which volunteered a number of runners and sponsored a vehicle.

Marney enjoys getting out in the community and being active, but that wasn’t what she was most excited about.

It was the company of her running mates and the prospect of seeing her parents along the track that had her beaming.

“She’s really excited,” Marney’s mother, Joan Lamb, said.

Expect to hear Dido’s White Flag playing as Marney and her team make their way along the course.

“I think just including more people and making the trail accessible to everyone is a great thing,” O’Keefe Challenge coordinator Nigel Preston said.

About 650 people are expected to participate in the event this year.

“About 30 per cent of those are from outside the Bendigo region,” Mr Preston said.

He said there was still scope for people to get involved, with a number of positions remaining for prospective passengers. 

People can also sign up on Sunday for the five kilometre run or walk in support of the Heathcote Dementia Village project.

The event starts at 9:45am on Sunday at Barracks Reserve in Heathcote.

For more information about the O’Keefe Challenge, click here.