The first team to complete the 14th annual Oxfam Trailwalker Melbourne, a 100 kilometre endurance challenge, made it in 12 hours and 9 minutes overnight.
The four members of Team 26 – Melbourne Midday Milers – finished just before 7pm, after an early start at Jells Park in Wheelers Hill.
Co-Team captain Adrian Hoel, from North Fitzroy, joked that they had just missed out on their sub-12 hour goal.
“We wanted to get a time below 12 hours but we got lost three times and did an extra four kilometres. It wasn’t too bad considering only half of the team have done Trailwalker before.”
Co-Team captain, David Alcock from Coburg, lifted his shorts to show a red gash, “I took a spectacular fall at the 45 kilometre mark. That wasn’t much fun.”
Along with fellow team mates David Hartley and Nick Turner, the team raised $2,525 and said supporting Oxfam was hugely significant.
“Oxfam was the main reason we competed today, plus we do a lot of marathons every year so fitness and raising money for charity go hand in hand.”
More than 708 teams competing in the event have helped raise more than $2.3 million for Oxfam Australia’s work helping people overcome poverty and injustice.
The fastest trailwalkers were Team 456 from Melbourne who started in the last wave on Friday morning and finished in a time of 10 hours and 56 minutes just before 10 pm the same evening.
Almost 600 teams will continue to race towards the finish until Sunday morning and David Alcock from Melbourne Midday Milers said he’d they’d be thinking about walkers that were on the trail overnight.
“The remaining competitors are more hard core than we are, doing it for a minute longer than necessary is difficult. I have a lot of respect for them,” he said. “Tonight we will have a beer, a bath and sleep. I will not be doing a five kilometre warm down.”
Arguably one of Australia’s toughest endurance events, Oxfam Trailwalker Melbourne challenges teams of four to complete a 100 kilometres walk in under 48 hours. The last teams are expected to cross the finish line at Wesburn Park in the Yarra Valley on Sunday morning. Get the latest results and track teams live at Oxfam’s Trailwalker website.
For interviews or more information, please contact Oxfam Australia Media Coordinator Alice Plate on 0418 873 782 or alicep@oxfam.org.au
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