By JESSE GRAHAM
THOUSANDS of eager walkers made their way through the Yarra Ranges over the weekend, as part of the intense Oxfam Trailwalker event, wearing their feet down to stubs on a 100-kilometre journey.
Teams of walkers set out from Wheelers Hill bright and early on Friday 2 May, walking 100 kilometres through the area to reach Wesburn Park hours later.
The trail saw 781 teams travel through Ferntree Gully, Mount Evelyn, Olinda, Lysterfield, Woori Yallock, Millgrove and Warburton, before finishing up in Wesburn.
Local Emerald trainer Julie ‘Hoffy’ Hoffman from Hoffy’s Intensity Health and Fitness had 24 people that made up six ‘Intensity’ teams that took on their first Oxfam Trailwalk, with 20 people making it to the finish line.
Mrs Hoffman said combined, their Oxfam teams raised over $12,000.
“It was amazing to watch them all come together – they finished in high spirits and are extremely proud of each other,” she said.
“I couldn’t be prouder of all of them, they trained hard, spent lots of time fund-raising and every single one of them gave it 110 per cent on the day.”
The first team to cross the line was Steve has been Chicked, who completed the challenge in 10 hours, 31 minutes – almost an hour ahead of second team, Trails Plus, who finished in 11 hours, 20 minutes.
The average time for completing the trail was 28 hours, 31 minutes, and the final team, The Hi Hos, passed through the finish line at 7.08am on Sunday 4 May.
Steve has been Chicked team captain, David Wilson, said the team was determined to leave the others in the dust and stuck together through the intense trail walk.
“We decided if they wanted to catch us, they were going to have to run really well,” Mr Wilson said.
Mr Wilson, 47, along with other team member 37-year-old David Overend, both beat their personal best for the walk by 49 minutes.
Trailwalker Spokesperson Yvette Petersen congratulated the winning teams on their achievement, and said this year’s event was the biggest yet, with 3200 runners signed up.
“These runners gave it everything they had to get to the end of the trail before sunset and they should be proud of their results, both on the trail and in their fund-raising,” she said.
Of the 3200 participating, 2535 walkers finished the trail, though 95 per cent of the teams finished with at least one walker left standing.
The aim of the event was to raise money for Oxfam to help fight poverty worldwide, and a fund-raising goal of $3 million was set before the event.
As of Monday 5 May, $2,444,491 was raised towards the goal, and fund-raising is set to continue until 31 May.
Former Healesville residents, Rebecca and Ben Schatz and Healesville’s Matt Thomas teamed up with Geelong’s Daniel McDonald to take part in the challenge, raising $2019 for Oxfam.
However, the team failed to finish, with Rebecca and Daniel retiring at the second last checkpoint after 71.2 kilometres and 29 hours, 11 minutes of walking.
The unofficial accolade for biggest blister from the event was given to Nicola Hande of the Hi Hos, though no measurements were taken at the time.
Results
The top five teams to complete the Oxfam Trailwalker event were:
1st Steve has been Chicked, 10 hours, 31 minutes (David Wilson, Box Hill; David Overend, Abbotsford; Daniel Langelaan, Endeavour Hills; Dion Finocchiaro, Brighton).
2nd Trails Plus, 11 hours, 20 minutes (Kellie Emmerson, Deanna Blegg, Nikki Wynd, Samantha Gash).
3rd Melbourne Midday Milers: 11 hours, 45 minutes (Richard Does, Frankston South; Anthony Mithen, Albert Park; David Venour, Vermont; Ewen Vowels, Travancore).
4th Foleys List, 11 hours, 58 minutes (Andrew Turner, Glen Iris; Stephen Callahan, Ballarat; Brad Fuller, Lara; Simon Marcus, Burwood East).
5th Breakfast at Bears, 12 hours, nine minutes (Brendan Callery, Berwick; David Campbell, Cranbourne North; Ian Cornthwaite, Allambie Reserve; Stephen Gilbert, Pakenham).
