Heather completes her 3000 mile 365challenge
On Sunday, January 23rd 2011, 3 days ahead of her target finish date of January 26th, Australia Day, another of our 365ers has completed her 365challenge successfully.
Heather Kelly, an Aussie living here in Chester, England, contacted me just over a year ago to find out how she could take on a 365challenge to support Cancer Research UK. We kicked around a few ideas, and then Heather came back to me with her final plan. And I was stunned at its ambition!
She wanted to create something that helped connect her with her homeland, so … quite simply … she decided she was going to walk from her hometown of Geelong, just outside Melbourne on the south coast to Australia’s northern-most point at Cape York in Queensland … just 3000 miles along the east coast of this enormous country! That’s an average of 8 MILES A DAY! She told me she loved to walk and usually walked at least 4 miles most days anyway, but this was going to need a bit more of an effort on her part.
And you know what? She’s ploughed through the miles, in all weathers, and on Sunday, I was honoured to be asked to join her and a few friends for her final few miles. We successfully negotiated the river, canal and cycleways around Chester on a mild January afternoon to cross that incredible finish line … 3000 miles walked in ONE YEAR, raising, so far, £1130 for the wonderful work of Cancer Research UK (you can add to that total if you want to … click through here to Heather’s JustGiving page to donate).
We then adjourned to The Ship Inn in Handbridge in Chester for a celebratory tipple to acknowledge Heather’s wonderful effort.
Congratulations, Heather, that is an amazing achievement and you’ve done the 365challenge proud. Thanks for being willing to take it on and now … put your feet up for a few days and have a well-earned rest … before you set your sights once more on this year’s SHINE night marathon walk for CRUK in Manchester May 1st! What a trooper!
