Meriem Daoui

Humanitarian and marathon runner

2023 TAS Young Australian of the Year

Meriem Daoui, a Tasmanian marathon runner and registered nurse, uses her love of running as a platform to do good. She ran her first marathon at age 16, raising over $5,000 for displaced Syrians affected by their country’s civil war.

Born in Morocco, Meriem relocated to Tasmania at age 10 where she experienced racism and was bullied for wearing a hijab. Anxiety, depression and eating disorders plagued her teenage years, but the support she received during her adversities inspired her to give back to the community.

Meriem has also used marathons to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer research. She most recently conquered the 'Everest challenge', running Tasmania's Point-to-Pinnacle course – also known as the world’s hardest half-marathon – every day for one week. The challenge raised over $12,000.

In 2021, Meriem was awarded the Australian Peter Norman Humanitarian award for her community and philanthropic efforts.