Oxfam Australia’s 3rd Trailwalker Brisbane event will get underway this morning, with the first gutsy walkers set to tackle the 100km trail.
Today, 285 teams of four will attempt to walk or run 100km of Queensland bush from Mt Glorious to Mt Coot-tha, through the stunning D’Aguilar National Park.
And a survey of Queenslanders, commissioned by Oxfam, has revealed nearly half (45 per cent) have aspirations to take on the endurance challenge.
More than two thirds of those questioned (68 per cent) said they would like to be a bit fitter, and 17 per cent claimed they needed a goal to work towards.
More than 500 volunteers will work as podiatrists, physiotherapists, drivers and “sweep teams” to clean up after the walkers over the weekend, and another 1200 people will act as support crews for each team, providing them with food and supplies.
Oxfam Chief Executive Dr Helen Szoke said all participants in this year’s events had shown determination and drive to get to the start line.
“Walking 100km is no easy feat and it takes months of planning and dedication to get to this point,” she said.
“Of course, none of this is possible without the unsung heroes, the support crews and our eager and enthusiastic volunteers and staff who will be helping our Trailwalkers every step of the way.
“The Queensland teams have also constantly amazed us with their ingenious ways to raise funds for Oxfam’s life-saving work to transform people’s lives and provide pathways out of poverty and injustice.”
To take part in Trailwalker Brisbane, each team must fundraise a minimum of $1000, with the aim of raising $1.4 million overall towards Oxfam Australia’s work helping people overcome poverty.
This morning, teams will set off in three waves at 7am, 8.30am and 10am.
The fastest teams are expected at the finish line at Mt Coot-tha as early as 5pm tonight, however most will take around 28 hours to finish and are expected to cross the finish line between 7am and 2pm tomorrow.
Comments are closed.