About 1,000 people from Brisbane and beyond have signed up to take part in next month’s Oxfam Trailwalker event that raises money to empower communities to lift themselves out of poverty.
Some 250 teams of four will tackle the 2019 event from 21 – 23 June. Those registered for the 100km trail will have 48 hours to complete the challenge, which begins in Mt Glorious and winds its way through beautiful bushland to the finish line in Mt Coot-Tha.
Brisbane Trailwalker also offers a 55km trail, which will see participants set off from Lake Manchester on Saturday 22 June en-route to Mt Coot-Tha. They will have 24 hours to complete the course.
Oxfam Trailwalker spokesperson Anna Wemyss said Brisbane participants this year would be helping to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the event in Australia.
“Since 1999, more than 90,000 Trailwalkers around the country have raised more than $100 million for Oxfam Australia’s work tackling poverty around the world,” Ms Wemyss said.
“What’s great about Trailwalker in Australia, two decades on, are the different reasons people do it.
“Some come together to challenge themselves to do 55km or 100km for the first time; some for the tenth; some as part of a journey towards overcoming personal adversity; some to beat their personal best; some to support their friends and others.
“What unites them is this – walkers and their supporters draw incredible strength from knowing each step they take on the trail is helping people in poverty. This is the true spirit of Trailwalker.”
Rockhampton resident Anna Mainey and her Trailwalker team the Mainiacs all met at the Capricornia Bushwalking Club, which recently celebrated its 40th anniversary.
“We all range in age between 46 and 70 and, in January this year, the four of us hiked the Freycinet Circuit and Overland Track in Tasmania. So we have bonded as a team,” she said.
Ms Mainey said she came across Oxfam Trailwalker seven years ago after seeing an advertisement.
“I rang my daughter to see if she’d do the 55km event with me. She said ‘No, Mum – we can do the 100km!’ So 2014 was my first event and I’ve done it ever since. It gives me a reason to get out of bed at 4am in summer.”
Ms Wemyss said Oxfam Trailwalker was thrilled to attract participants like Ms Mainey and her team.
“Everyday Australians can do extraordinary things if they put their mind to it, and committing to taking on Oxfam Trailwalker is a perfect example of that,” she said.
“Those who complete Oxfam Trailwalker will end up more than just with just a 20thanniversary finish line medal this year. It’s likely they will have also developed lasting friendships, battled the elements and have fought the odds to reach their goal while doing their bit for people who face poverty here and globally.”
