Largest field completes Oxfam Trailwalker 2009

PRESS RELEASE For immediate release: Sunday April 5, 2009

Largest field completes Oxfam Trailwalker 2009!

A marriage proposal, blisters, hugs, champagne and tears of exhaustion filled the finish line at this year’s Oxfam Trailwalker 2009 held in Taupo April 4 and 5, as the largest field ever tackled the mammoth 100km walk within 36 hours.

The start guns sounded at 6am and 7am yesterday as the largest number of participants set off in two waves on the off-road trail – 1128 walkers in 282 teams with 300 volunteers and more than 1500 support crew to help them along. The trail takes in some of New Zealand's most spectacular scenery, including Huka Falls, Craters of the Moon, plenty of native bush and views across Lake Taupo.

Team TIS, three fire-fighters and ‘a fire-fighters wife’ from Auckland and Taupo, took the official top honours running the 100kms – equivalent to two and half marathons – in 13hrs40min.

Teams must start and finish as a team of four to qualify for the winning spots. Last year Team TIS dropped one member in the last stages, but this year, after four years participating in the event, Steve Pelham, Carmel Bradley, Brent Rayner and Barry Fox can claim the glory.

Team Yomp, with only three team members Gerry Mekkelholt, Ken Maplesden, and Wayne Oxenham, ran the trail in an incredible 12hrs33min.

Teams have trained for months to reach the start line, but the night cold and exhaustion can catch people along the way – this year 13 teams retired short of the finish line.

“You see people coming across the line absolutely hurting...a lot of teams really pushed themselves to make it and it's very humbling for Oxfam,” says Oxfam's Executive Director Barry Coates.

“People have lots of reasons for doing Trailwalker, but one reason is that they’re raising money for a very good cause and that feels absolutely fantastic. We’re really grateful for all the participants and support crew for all they did to support Oxfam’s work.”

Double Olympic gold medallist Caroline Evers-Swindell and her team Bubbles crossed the line in the chilly hours of Sunday morning – finishing the event in 23hrs and 13 minutes.

A special team in 2009 was Team Misiluki from Samoa, who was welcomed home after 31hrs13min with loud cheers from the crowd. The team was Audrey Carruthers, Aiga Fagaote and Faioso Vavaouti from Oxfam’s partner organisation in Samoa, Women in Business Development (WIBDI), and Oxfam’s programme director Jane Foster. Having Team Misiluki in the event was a unique chance for Trailwalkers, who have been training and fundraising for months, to meet some of the people who directly benefit from their efforts.

And for a Trailwalker first, a member of the Datacom Tortoises team felt the time was ready to ask his girlfriend to marry him as he crossed the line at 2:42am Sunday morning, after 20hrs and 42min of walking – luckily she said ‘yes’.

Once the blisters have dried up, teams still face the challenge of fundraising as much as they can up until June 15 to help people in some of the world's poorest communities. Oxfam hopes to raise $1.3 million from this year’s event – top individual fundraising teams so far include: We Thought it was a Disco with $10,672; Dazed and Confused with $9368 and Challenged with $8754.

For coverage of the event, including blogs, live Twitter, videos and photos visit, please visit www.oxfamtrailwalker.org.nz

ENDS

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