Ultramarathon effort to stop one of Australias biggest killers
Four mates from Bondi and Manly are set to leave the beach behind to tackle the mountains as they compete in the gruelling 100 kilometre Blue Mountains Ultra-Trail this Saturday.
Sam Dearden, Daniel Hodgson, Matty Wylde and Keith Bousfield are putting their minds and bodies to the ultimate test to raise money for three causes that have touched their lives; stroke, ovarian cancer, and spinal injuries.
Dan said he was tackling the tough race – the equivalent of two and a half marathons – in support of the Stroke Foundation after being personally impacted.
“Two close family members back in the UK [United Kingdom] had a stroke this year and it’s had a big impact on the whole family,” Dan explained.
“Before stroke happened to my family I knew very little about it. I’m really hoping to raise awareness, to encourage people to get checked for early warning signs [and be aware] that a stroke could happen to them.
“Not many people know that stroke kills more men than prostate cancer and more women than breast cancer.
“I am extremely passionate about creating awareness for the Stroke Foundation and its work to provide ongoing support to those families that have been affected by one of Australia’s biggest killers,” he said.
Dan said although the team had tackled several challenging races in preparation for the Ultramarathon, he expected Saturday’s big event to be tough.
“Between the four of us we’ve completed a few Spartans, Tough Mudders, some lengthy trail runs and a couple of marathons, but nothing compared to this,” Dan said.
“The trail has an elevation of 4,400 metres – it’s daunting to say the least. Some say it will take 16 hours, others 20 hours and some the maximum 28 hours.
“All we know is that we’ll start running at 7am this Saturday and we have until 11am the following day to (hopefully) cross the finish line.
“Despite months of training and numerous early morning runs I feel like we may be biting off more than we can chew. But no matter how tough it gets, it’s nothing compared with what families go through when a loved one has a stroke.
“So far we’ve raised more than $6000 thanks to the amazing generosity of the community. Any amount people can donate makes such a difference in the fight against stroke,” he said.
Find out more and donate to the boys’ Run/Walk/Crawl/Cry challenge click here or call the Stroke Foundation fundraising team on 1300 194 196.