The first team has crossed the finish line at the Oxfam Trailwalker Brisbane 100km event in an impressive time of just 12 hours and 35 minutes.
The four members of ‘Team 456 – Jodie’s Beast with Two Backs’, David Overend, 38 of Abbotsford, Victoria, David Wilson, 48 of Box Hill, Victoria and Brisbane locals Jodie Oborne, 43 of Balmoral and Carl Schodde, 35 of Wishart crossed the line just after 7.30pm.
Team leader David Overend credited the team’s finish to both physical endurance and camaraderie.
“For an event like this, of course you need to train and take it seriously, but you can’t finish unless you work together,” said David Overend.
“The unique aspect of this event for us is that you’re running an ultramarathon but instead of doing it alone, you’re doing it with a bunch of mates.
“This is our third year doing the Oxfam Trailwalker Brisbane and after finishing one team member down last year, it was awesome to finish with a full team this year.”
With the 100km run now under their belts, amazingly the endurance team also plan to walk in tomorrow’s Oxfam Trailwalker 55km event – the start which is less than just 12 hours away.
“We weren’t going to come up for the event this year, but when we heard a 55 kilometre event had been introduced we thought that sounds stupid…let’s do it!”
No stranger to endurance events, team member Jodie is an experienced runner who has been selected as part of an Australian team for ultramarathon running.
“Running in this event is definitely easier than running 100 kilometres on your own. The team really pulls you through the tough times, and it’s also much more fun,” said Jodie Oborne.
The second team to finish was all-female team the ‘Offroad Chinwaggers 1’ from Brisbane, who completed the challenge in 12 hours and 43 minutes.
The teams were met with loud cheering by family and friends who were eagerly waiting for them at the finish line.
This is the fourth year Oxfam Trailwalker has been held in Brisbane which has raised almost $3 million for those living in poverty since it began in 2011. For the first time ever, a shorter distance version of the on-foot challenge has been introduced, with more than 100 additional teams setting off tomorrow morning to walk 55km to the Mount Coot-tha finish line.
To arrange interviews or for more information contact Oxfam Australia Media Coordinator
Emma Whalan on 0418 873 782.
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