The Bloody Long Walk Brisbane | 35km
Walking Challenge
“If
you haven't any charity in your heart, You have the worst kind of heart
trouble.”
Since
when does a Queenslander say no to a challenge? Call it intimidating, call it
crazy, and call it the “mother of all charity walks”… one thing’s for sure: at
35 kilometers long, The Bloody Long Walk certainly stands up to its name.
The
Bloody Long Walk is a 35 kilometre challenge owned and operated by the Mito
Foundation. Mito is a debilitating and potentially fatal genetic disorder that
impairs the body's ability to convert food into the energy needed to power
muscles and major organs; 1 in 200 people are at risk of developing mito. One
Australian child born each week suffers a severe or life-threatening form of
mito making it the second most commonly diagnosed serious genetic disease after
cystic fibrosis.
The start
of The Bloody Long Walk was at Sandgate’s, Curlew Park. All checkpoints were
stationed by local volunteers who seek to support the participants and the
cause. People choose to volunteer for a variety of reasons. For some it offers
the chance to give something back to the community or make a difference to the
people around them. For others it provides an opportunity to develop new skills
or build on existing experience and knowledge. This was Kim’s third event volunteering
this year, helping out International Women’s Day Walk and the Ballina to Byron
event. Water, fruit and first aid
members were available at all checkpoints to ensure the safety and well-being
of all participants. Kim was stationed at Check Point 6, located at the New
Farm Riverwalk. Riverview Court New Farm and the entry to The Brisbane
Riverwalk, which is one of Brisbane’s absolute must do’s, a water highway for
pedestrians and cyclists jutting out along the most scenic tract of Brisbane
river between New Farm to the Howard St Wharves and on to the Brisbane CBD. The
870m long Riverwalk is happily segregated into dedicated roadways for cyclists
and pedestrians so neither can intrude on other’s turf, with cyclists enjoying
a 3.5m path and a comfortable 2.5m one for pedestrians.
The
route followed the train-line from Shorncliffe to North Boondall. It then
trailed parallel to the Gateway Motorway before hitting Nudgee Road, and
eventually, the Kedron Brook Floodway Park. From there, on to Nundah, Ascot and Newstead,
then the route hangs tightly to the north side of the Brisbane River, before
eventually crossing the Goodwill Bridge to the final stretch of pavement.
If this
sounds complicated, don’t despair, we saw extensive section maps that were available
to ensure individuals and teams can remain on track, and safety officials were
located across the whole route to provide everyone with the best support as
participants embarked on the challenging journey.
We
headed early to Sandgate to take a few photos of everyone starting, jumped in
the car and watched people passing the first Check Point at Nudgee and then
onto her Check Point 6.
Kim’s
Check Point was the most vocal, with bells and horns welcoming every walker
with smiles and hugs and needed encouragement for the last 6k’s till the
finish.
Kim’s
put her name down for the Gold Coast event and maybe we’ll walk it next year.
Check out the video from the weekend:
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