Wild Women Walking 100km to raise $1M

Coastrek 2011 is Wild Women on Top’s annual endurance challenge. Now less than two months away, 150 teams of four people, each with at least 50% women, are busy training to walk 100km from Palm Beach to Coogee in under 48 hours. They aim to raise $1 million for the Fred Hollows Foundation – that’s big.

The Fred Hollows Foundation also thinks big, their vision is “a world where no one is needlessly blind and Indigenous Australians enjoy the same health and life expectancy as other Australians”. A worthy cause, but is it an impossible dream? The foundation has reduced the cost of cataract surgery, which restores sight to an individual, to as little as $25 in some developing countries. If $25 can restore sight for one person, what could a million dollars do?

Raising $1 million is a big undertaking – but Coastrek is about more than fundraising. Coastrek 2011, held over 4th and 5th March, is an endurance challenge promoting health and fitness as well as team work and mental and emotional toughness. Helping to co-ordinate 600 people over the 100km track, Merel Dalebout, one of the Wild Women coaches, is responsible for the route maps, track notes, and checkpoints. “The route for 2011 is going from Palm Beach to Balmoral, and on across the bridge and around South Head to Coogee. There are 5 checkpoints before the 50 km mark and 5 checkpoints after, and some of these will differ from last year, just to keep everyone on their toes!”

Their toes will be well and truly worked out by the end of it. Wild Women have provided an e-book which details a training regime for the teams – after which I’m sure they will be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. There is however no doubt that taking on a challenge like this is more than a physical challenge. As the e-book says, “Endurance trekking events offer us the opportunity to break down physical and mental barriers and achieve extraordinary goals.”

“The team thing is the best part of such events,” says Merel, who participated in Coastrek 2009. “You end up chatting the whole way and sharing life stories and dreams, and you get fit at the same time in a beautiful location, while raising money for a wonderful charity. Ticks all the boxes on my list!”

What is on your list for 2011? With all 150 teams filled and busy training as we speak, they now need “…an amazing ARMY of people to make it all happen.” There are lots of ways you can help out. Each team needs not just to make their $1400 in donations, but support before, during and after the event. Wild Women need volunteers on the day – route marshals, communications officers, certificate presenters, sweep teams, driver and check in/out operators. Volunteering is a great way to get involved in an inspiring event, meet some fantastic folk, and start 2011 by doing something amazing – restoring a person’s sight.

The Fred Hollows Foundation has restored sight to over 1 million people. Let’s raise $1 million – and see where that takes us.

Sign up to volunteer here: Volunteer
Donate/Sponsor a team: Sponsor

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