CEO, Firewize
13 Jul, 2021
Oxfam is a confederation of 20 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International.
Oxfam Australia is an independent, not-for-profit, secular, community-based aid and development organization, and an affiliate of Oxfam International. Oxfam Australia's work includes long-term development projects, responding to emergencies and campaigning to improve the lives of disadvantaged people around the world.
Oxfam Trailwalker is a global phenomenon. Oxfam Trailwalker began in 1981 as a military training exercise for the elite Queen’s Gurkha Signals Regiment in Hong Kong. It has since grown into one of the world’s leading team endurance challenges with over 250,000 people taking part and $210 million raised in support of Oxfam’s work.
In March, 2019 (the last time the Oxfam Trailwalker event was held), I offered to assist a friend to complete the 100 kilometer walk. For anyone who competed you might remember that the event started on a Friday and the weather was HOT, damn hot (from memory it was in the mid 30's).. and overnight the weather changed (as it does in Melbourne) and completely changed, dropping to below 12ÂşC.
When I first caught up with my friend it was about 4am and he had been walking for about 16 hours, he was cold and very tired (despite all of his training) and had very blistered feet. The team had all the food they needed but they could really do with something to keep them warm. So between rest breaks drove around as many stores on a very early Saturday morning that I could find open, trying to buy disposable hand warmers.
When I caught up to the team again (about 2.5 hours later) the sun had risen and the team's spirits had lifted — They were on the home stretch. Because of other commitments, I was unable to meat the team at the finish line, however due to their perseverance and commitment they made the distance.
In February 2020 I committed to my friend to join the trailwalker team of four walking the 100 kilometers with a plan to complete the journey in 20 hours (about 9 hours slower than the fastest time) and less than half the allowed 48 hours to complete the walk.
Of course every team needs a name, and our team name is "Too Stupid to Stop".
We also committed to a training plan that involves an element of individual commitment as well as teamwork.
So for may part, I walk almost every night, with an extended walk almost every Sunday morning (starting July, 2021).
Weeknights is a walk, typically 6 kilometers while our Sunday walks are typically anywhere form 20km to 35km. As you can see from the graphic, most weeks I am walking over 50km and I intend to build on this as we get closer to October.
On my first major walk of July, I suffered from a bit of a rash and needed to make a few adjustments to ensure this didn't happen again... Subsequently I have recovered... I tell people that preparing for a long walk (like the Oxfam Trailwalker) is like breaking in a new pair of thongs. The first few times, your almost guaranteed to get a blister somewhere, but after a bit of wearing in (training) you harden up and the blisters stop.
Obviously, Oxfam Trailwalker is a charity fundraiser, helping raise money to invest in long-term projects, responding to emergencies, and campaigning for change.
For every $1 donated, 61 cents is spent on program and humanitarian work, 25 cents on fundraising, media and marketing, 11 cents on administration and 3 cents on advocacy.
I have personally set a goal to get 10 companies or people donate $10 per kilometer walked. This is where you come in.
Step 1 - Subscribe to the regular updates to learn about my progress;
Step 2 - Follow our Team's (Too Stupid to Stop) progress and regular updates;
Step 3 - Donate / Contribute to our progress
Step 4 - Show me some ❤️ by dropping me a message of support on Facebook.
