My Updates

Final thoughts

Yesterday was the 7th and final day of my 1,000km fundraising cycling challenge in New Zealand. We may be short of about 100km from Day Six which drowned in thunderstorms, but this was nonetheless an experience of massive proportions, in many ways.
There is, of course, the physical part - huge steep long hills such as The Remarkables yesterday, which pushed my body beyond what it has ever felt. And with the physical comes the mental element of actually believing in what I can achieve, fighting back negative thoughts of stepping down.
Then there is the surreal NZ landscape. Grassy plains, old volcanos, high snowcapped peaks, rivers and lakes, glaciers and waterfalls falling into the sea. It may be a bit like Switzerland, but at the same time it’s not - wilder, perhaps more magical.
There is also the Chain Reaction spirit, the organisation that took me there. A bunch of likeminded people who I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and sharing time with, this week but also throughout the training sessions. Many friendships formed. We just need more women to join in and balance the testosterone a bit. There is no reason why women couldn’t do this, and our wonderful and brave Alice and Jayne are cases in point.
But most importantly, this is about the children and their families who are not as fortunate as we are. This week I’ve heard so many moving and humbling stories about why we did what we did. There is much distress and sorrow out there. Some stories end up well, others don’t. As a group we managed to raise more than $1.3m, which is truly amazing but also deeply needed. Let me therefore conclude by thanking all of you who contributed to this event. This wasn’t about me, this was about them - the sick kids who are fighting for their life and looking for a happy future and perhaps living an experience like this one day.
Share
Last day


Day 6


Day 5


Day 4


Day 3 - one more picture


Day 3


Day 2


Day One


D-Day


Kinglake, 140km in the rain


Albert Park Lake - 6am


Back to serious training today


Help me support kids in need!
