Oxfam Trailwalker Melbourne 2019
As many of you may be aware, James has been training hard with the rest of his team representing PhysioLife in the Oxfam Trailwalker 100km walk.Â
Oxfam is a worldwide charity with an ultimate goal of ending world poverty. Since 1981 the Oxfam Trailwalker initiative has raised over $165m to go towards programs such as sanitation, education and housing projects.Â
With less than 2 weeks to go, all of the long training walks have been completed and the taper off to ‘game day’ begins. Training has included the long stretch of the first 3 stages in a 36km training walk. Time on the legs being the main aim. Also to familiarise ourselves with the terrain and how to attack this section at race pace. We plan on completing this ordeal in 16-18hrs. Mainly to get a few frosty boys in sooner rather than later. To do this we plan on jogging the first 200m of every km. In theory this may sound like a great idea. However only time will tell how long we can keep this pace up. On our previous training walks at race pace this took us down to about 7.45/km (absolutely motoring!) including anticipated stops should have us inside the 16hrs with time to spare. Oh the best laid plans…Â
With under 2 weeks to go, our excitement is growing. We have gone all out with toe socks, special anti-chafe jocks (thanks Step One), new camel backs, custom team kits (donated by CGR) and even laminated maps (thanks Benny!)Â
Here are a few of Telf's tips leading up to
the event:
- Get any niggles sorted out asap.
This could prevent any unwanted flare ups along the way or at the very least a
management strategy will be in place. Your physio, podiatrist or massage
therapist is your best friend at this point.
- Ensure that all footwear is in
good order and adequately worn in. The team at Athlete’s Foot in Camberwell
have looked after us well! You never want to debut some fresh wheels and play roulette
with blisters.
- Discuss in detail food
requirements with support crew and walking teams. Also agree on equipment,
stopping times and strategy to attack or finish the course.
- Start your cab loading 3 days out.
We have worked out this could be up to 10,000 calories of burn during the 100km.
In event calories should be taken any way possible!
- Have a strategy to deal with the
unplanned such as blisters or cramps. This can be having pre-prepared blister
management and cramping aids/prevention.
- Make a solid playlist of songs to
get your team through the dark times that will surely lead to long stretches of
not talking to each other!
On behalf of Team PhysioLife we would like to take this
opportunity to thank all of our sponsors and all of those that have kindly
donated to us. This type of support really drives us. Be sure to follow us on
instagram @physiolifeaustralia for regular updates on the journey.Â
There is still time to donate to Team PhysioLife at https://trailwalker.oxfam.org.au/my/team/32091
Â
Major sponsors include;Â
Zaparas LawyersÂ
Foundr magazineÂ
CaydonÂ
Thank you also to all individual sponsors. We appreciate all the support. We will post a recap of the event along with our final fundraising amount and list of all the generous souls that have chipped in!Â
