Please note: this is an old article
It was published in April 2017, so the information may be out-of-date.
Walking 100km straight for nearly 30 hours and losing a couple of toenails in the process doesn’t seem like much of an enjoyable weekend.
But for four Shepparton residents that was how they spent Friday from 8.30am until Saturday at 2.30pm.
‘‘It was awesome and absolutely amazing,’’ Shelley Heggart said.
‘‘The whole atmosphere was great for the entire walk and the feeling you get meeting volunteers at 2am in the morning really keeps you going.’’
Shelley Heggart, Megan Howard, Jacque Cuthbert and Dave Cuthbert participated in Oxfam Trailwalker Melbourne, a huge challenge that aims to raise money for poverty.
‘‘Walking in pitch black on Friday night was probably the hardest part when all you can see is the light in front of you from the headtorch,’’ Mrs Heggart said.
‘‘But when we finished on Saturday afternoon we just threw our hands in the air and were hugging each other, it was great.’’
Last year the team did the walk — from Whellers Hill in Melbourne to Wesburn Park in the Yarra Valley — in 32 hours, but had its sights set on smashing that effort this year.
‘‘We did it in 29 hours and 45 minutes, which was great,’’ Mrs Heggart said.
‘‘Some people book into accommodation overnight because you have 48 hours to do it, but all of us just walked together for the entire time.’’
The team relied upon a support crew travelling beside them in a Winnebago to make the huge effort a reality, stopping at times to eat and rest their weary bodies.
‘‘We have currently raised close to $3000 in the fight against poverty and we are hoping to increase that amount in the next few days,’’ Mrs Heggart said.
To help the team’s fundraising efforts donate at: trailwalker.oxfam.org.au/my/team/26755
Article curtesy of The Shepparton News on Monday 10 April. Written by Hayden Thomson.
