Don't underestimate the challenge - don't underestimate the achievement

'Don't underestimate the challenge'. That's the message that came through loud and clear from the organisers all through our preparations for Trailwalker 2011. And we tried not to but until you're actually taking part it's difficult to appreciate fully just how tough it is - physically and mentally - taking part in Trailwalker.

To help us remember the event, and provide some insight to those who are contemplating taking part another time, we've put a record of our experiences in this blog (see separate pages in right hand column).

'Don't underestimate the achievement'. If you can't finish first then you have to make your mark some other way. So we finished joint last. Our two remaining team members, Helen and Alison, crossed the finish line at Brighton racecourse 33 hours, 1 minute after they started with Rhiannon and Leonie, the two remaining members of  'Ladybirds Are Go!' And let's not forget our other two team members who each covered about two thirds of the distance before having to give up;  Heather at 60 kms and Aly after 69 kms. All four of our walking team should be extremely proud of their achievement, particularly given the horrendous weather conditions during the first nine hours of the walk.

Here are some stats. Of the 2046 people who started, 1656 (81%)  finished. Just over half the teams that started finished as complete teams of four and 43 teams (8%) did not finish at all. First to finish were a team of Gurkhas, Anil Tamang, Hitman Ghale, Rohit Gurung and Netra Rana, in 10 hours 42 minutes (we were just approaching checkpoint 4). They were running, in shorts and vests. Respect.

And finally here's an inspirational message from Helen, our team leader.
"When I first set about looking for a team to take part in Trailwalker, the roles of walker and support were separate. I now realise that the fine line of separation was never really there, as everyone within the team supported each other in their times of need, often without help being asked for first.

A strong bond has built up within each and everyone of us, as members of the team now begin to realise that with a vision anything in life is possible!"

Friday night with the Gurkhas

Still a lovely afternoon when we arrived at the Queen Elizabeth Country Park. We were nice and early so we had the pick of pitches in the '6.00 a.m. start' section of the campsite.Could that be rain clouds building in the background?








And because we'd raised so much sponsorship money, the team were given a fast track registration process.

Aly and Helen tuck in

Later on the Gurkhas treated us to a pasta dinner. Very yummy!  And when I say us that's 520 teams of four and their support crew. Not to mention all those helping behind the scenes. Then they cooked breakfast for us all next morning.

Craig gets a hat

There were some shopping opportunities - time to buy a few last essentials (chocolate) and Oxfam had some great bargains in their tent. Craig splashed out on a rainhat (sorry about pun) which he wore for several hours before losing it. Apparently this wasn't his 'purchase to loss' record.




Finally that evening we were treated to a great performance by the Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas.

The Gurkhas get ready

The Gurkhas at the front are doing something very fast with knives - that's why it's blurry!

Off to base camp - Friday 15th July

Craig gets comfy

Participating in Trailwalker presents any number of challenges - getting all our gear, food and team members to the base camp was one of the first of the weekend. Meeting that challenge sometimes required team members to be less than comfortable on the way to base camp.

Craig and Heather enjoy the sunny weather

Base camp was at the foot of the South Downs very near the Jack and Jill windmills (checkpoint 8) and what a lovely summer day it was. Make the most of it team!

 

Aly and Sonia packed for the journey to Petersfield

Our next challenge - putting all the gear and people who had travelled in three cars to base camp into two cars before travelling to the Queen Elizabeth Country Park at Petersfield for the start of Trailwalker.

Didn't we do well

After a truly horrendous start, rain, rain and more rain for the first seven hours, 4everfriends  are pleased to announce that two of the team, Alison and Helen, finished the 100kms walk between Petersfield and Brighton in 33 hours and 1 minute. The other two team members managed to complete about two-thirds of the walk, with Heather retiring after 60kms and Aly after 69kms.

More news about the team's experiences and photos will be posted when we've all had a good sleep.

The big day dawns

This will be our final posting before we set off for the start line. Early tomorrow all eight of us will be heading for our base camp at the foot of the Downs near the Jack and Jill windmills (or checkpoint 8 as we've come to know it). Then, after ensuring that we've got all the gear in the support car, we'll be heading for the Queen Elizabeth Country Park near Petersfield where we've been promised Gurkhas displays and an unforgettable performance from the Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas. 

 At 6.00 Saturday morning the walkers will set off from the start line on one of the biggest challenges they've probably ever had - to walk along the South Downs until they reach Brighton, 100 kms away, where there will be more Gurkhas at the finish line and medals.

And you can track their progress - click here to go to the Trailwalker 'watch it live' page. Track the team by entering 'foreverfriends'.

The final countdown

It's now less than two weeks to go before 4everfriends set out on our 60 mile walk for charity and final preparations are being made.

For the walkers this means that last week saw the end of the long training walks as we prepare to get in peak condition for the walk itself. Alison was back on the South Downs training on some of the actual stages including a 30 mile plus walk. She admits that she was no fun to be with afterwards so hard hats have been added to the essential equipment for the support crew.

Support arrangements are also being finalised. There are two teams of two - Michelle and Sonia are the 'day crew' and Craig and Margaret are the 'night crew'. We'll be meeting the walkers at most of the checkpoints to feed and water them, to make sure they've put on sun lotion and/or got their waterproofs and to keep their morale up. All the directions for getting between checkpoints are prepared and the checklist of all the equipment and supplies is drawn up and being assembled. Now all we have to do is make sure someone remembers to bring the ketchup. If we don't, breakfast on Sunday morning (estimated time 4.45 a.m.) with four people who have walked about 50 miles and who haven't slept since Friday night could get ugly.

Finally, as of this morning we have £3,220 in the charity kitty - great news!

Castle Hill, Woodingdean - the post Sunday breakfast view

We make the news!

4everfriends  have made the news - here's some great coverage in last Tuesday's Norwich Evening News.

Training for extreme weather

Trailwalker may be taking place in the middle of summer, but 4everfriends are taking no chances. Last weekend  Heather and Helen took their training to the extremes by walking through the night in wind and rain. And the verdict was ... it will be very tough indeed if that's the weather we get for the event itself. However good the waterproofs and boots, eventually the rain gets in. When that happens, and you're cold and tired, and it's several miles to a change of socks, morale flows right away. They managed 20 miles before deciding, at 4.00 in the morning, that enough was enough.

But it could so easily be very different - some of the team were out walking again this weekend with temperatures nudging 30c which presents another set of challenges with the heat sapping energy and making it difficult to keep up a good pace. We'll be keeping a close eye on the weather forecast as we get nearer the event.

Another target beaten

Well, 4everfriends have now raised over £3000 in sponsorship money. That's double our original target and we're pretty amazed at your generousity. To put this into context - in terms of money raised we rank 22nd out of the 500 teams that are entering this year's Trailwalker. But it's more important to remember why we're raising the money.

The money raised through Trailwalker is being split between Oxfam and the Gurkha Welfare Trust. Oxfam will use the money in three ways:

• disaster relief - the 2010 floods in Pakistan may have disappeared from the news but dealing with its aftermath still goes on and it's just one of a dozen or so disasters Oxfam is addressing;
• development work - Oxfam is working in more than 70 countries to support those living in poverty to take control and solve their own problems; and
• campaigning for change - influencing those who make decisions to improve the lives of those in need.

The Gurkha Welfare Trust will be using the money raised to bring clean, safe drinking water and sanitation facilities to more than 80 villages. In some villages people have to queue from 4.00 in the morning to ensure they get the water they need. And during the monsoon months, water borne diseases such as dysentery spread rapidly. The construction of water schemes will help bring water to people's doorstep and put a latrine into every house.

The money you've given us will help to make a difference to people's lives - don't stop giving yet!

It just gets better and better!

As of today we have raised the grand total of £2825  in sponsorship for Oxfam and the Gurkhas.

It's amazing to think that when we set our first target of £1500 back at the start of the year, we thought it was a reasonable sum to aim for. When we passed that sum and raised our target to £2000 in May we made a decision not to raise it any further because we doubted that we could get much more. And here we are on the brink of raising £3000. Everyone who's contributed so far needs to give themselves a big pat on the back.

Clearly we're now aiming to break the £3000 barrier - reading this and you haven't sponsored us yet? Jump on a bandwagon and start giving by clicking here.  Given money already? We are grateful but don't let us stop you giving more! Just use the link above.

Exclusive! We bring you photos from the event of the season

Fiesta Italiana was an exclusive, all-ticket affair so, for those not lucky enough to be there, here are some photos.

Waiting for dinner to be served

And look how lovely the first course was. Note the non-alcoholic cocktail in the background - handmade by Heather and Donna.











Here's Heather selling the raffle tickets -we raised £105 on the night so thanks to all who contributed prizes and bought tickets. That's Denise in the background who masterminded the event.









And here's Dud who was a masterly auctioneer for the auction of promises.

No event is complete without celebs. And while we didn't have any, here are Andrea and Jan. Andrea serenaded us through the meal before going on to model the latest fashion - cardigans worn as trousers. She said her legs were cold but she's on trend as always.

 And finally, a special mention for Alison, seen here accepting flowers for herself and Denise. Both worked hard to make this event so successful and do what we intended - raise lots of money for Oxfam and the Gurkhas.

Molte, molte grazie!

One of the great joys about being involved in the Trailwalker event is finding out how generous people can be with their time and money when it comes to helping us raise money for the Gurkha Welfare Trust and Oxfam.


Last night we held a Fiesta Italiana - not in sunny Italy but in the slightly cooler Suffolk countryside. Those there enjoyed a three course Italian meal with live music accompaniment before digging deep into their pockets to bid for some wonderful offers in an auction of promises including a cream tea for two at Wyken Hall, a beauty treatment courtesy of Jarrolds, a hypnotheraphy session, dog-walking, cake and meal making for special occasions, maths tuition,  family tree research and designer 'pass the parcel' parcels. And then they shelled out again for raffle tickets! To round the evening off, we found out all there is to know about Italy before being seranaded with a superb rendition of 'Volare'.


And on the night we raised over £500 for the Gurkhas and Oxfam - so our heartfelt thanks to Denise for hosting and organising, and to her and her helpers for the meal, to Andrea for serenading us as we ate, to Dud for his autioneering (only one gavel was broken), to the 'Volare' singers, to all those who offered their time and services through the auction, to those who provided raffle prizes and, not least, to all those who attended and gave so generously. Molte grazie to you all!

We've beaten our new sponsorship target!

We've now beaten our new sponsorship target of £2000 which we only set last month! The Oxfam totaliser records us on £2084 as of today. Another very big thank you to all who have given either directly or through buying the recipe book and tickets to the upcoming Italian evening. Not only is this money going to some needy causes, but 4everfriends  now get a special Trailwalker t-shirt to keep forever!

The big training weekend

4everfriends put the late May Bank Holiday to good use by taking to the hills and doing some training on the actual route they'll be following in July. As always lots of lessons have been learnt and here are the pictures to prove it.

While it may be sunny and calm down in the valleys, up on the Downs it can be a bit blowy ('icy gales' is how they described it). Here's Alison taking refuge in the storm tent.

Reminder to the Support Crew - make sure the walkers have got their hats and gloves on before you let them out after dark. And don't forget to wrap up warm yourselves! 

 And here are Aly and Heather (minus their hats and gloves - tut, tut) showing how excited they are to be doing their first night time walk.

Sleep deprivation can have an upsetting impact on the human body and brain, as the team discovered after their night of walking. 'It was like being drunk, we told silly stories and sang a lot.' And when the opportunity for a silly photo arose.....

And after an exhausting night's walking what better then a cooked breakfast? Here's Michelle cooking egg and bacon butties for the walkers while they rest up. Look at the wonderful view of the Downs behind them! A special mention to Sonia who's behind the camera. Not only did she do a great job in capturing all those happy faces but also did sterling work with Michelle in supporting the walkers.

Reminder to the Support Crew - camping stoves are hopeless when it's windy. It took an hour for Michelle and Sonia to boil a kettle. And make sure the walkers sit in an orderly manner and not huddle together like penguins otherwise you'll all be falling over each other and the equipment.

And to finish, here's a couple of photos of the team to show that despite the cold and lack of sleep, the team are still together - up on the Downs with tired legs and down by the sea at Bracklesham Bay.

 And last but not least, Michelle and Sonia, who were support crew for the training weekend, can still manage a smile at the end of the trip.

Our new sponsorship target

Brilliant news! We've almost reached our target of raising £1500 in sponsorship (£1,417 in the bank at the last count). So now we've upped our target to £2000.

This is great news for Oxfam and the Gurkhas, who'll benefit from the money. And great news for the team if they meet the new target - they'll get a free official Trailwalker t-shirt each and a commemorative team photo taken by the official event photographer!

The team test walk the Downs

This weekend 4everfriends has been finding out more about the challenge in store for them and doing some test walking on the Downs.

Oxfam organised a get together for participants at the Queen Elizabeth Country Park to tell them more about the walk and to answer all those pressing questions. Helen, Heather and Alison went along for the team  and found it really useful. A member of the Queen's Gurkha Regiment was there giving tips on endurance and safety and what to wear, to eat and drink etc, as well as other do and don'ts. A previous participant of Trailwalker gave a talk. She'd done the challenge eight years ago and only one of her team completed it. Her message was DON'T UNDERESTIMATE the challenge!

 

And while they were there Alison managed to fit in a 16 mile walk along the start of the trail, and on Saturday all three did a seven mile walk from Harting Down - now we know how steep (very) and chalky the Downs are; a good test of the team's fitness.

We walk a marathon!

With just over two months to go to the big event, training is getting serious. This weekend 4ever friends walked 27 miles, just a bit longer than a marathon, and managed to do it in 10 hours and 15 minutes. That's nearly half the distance we'll be doing in July, so we're pleased with how the preparations are going so far. And the unseasonal hot weather gave us a taste of what it might be like in July.

Two of the support team joined in for the first part of the training walk, an eight mile circuit of Alton Water, and decided a support team for the support team would be handy. They left mid way through the afternoon so missed the lovely sunset.....

Sunset over Alton Water

Fiesta Italiana!

Our money raising activities go all Italian in June.

On Saturday 11 June, with lots of kind help from Denise, we're organising an Italian themed  fundraising night.   The evening will include; a delicious three course authentic Italian meal plus live music, an auction of promises, a raffle and other activities. And you won't have to go all the way to Italy for this experience; just as far as  Debenham in Suffolk. Tickets are £15.00 each, but hurry - there's only space for 50 people and half the tickets have already gone!

To purchase your ticket contact Alison at alison.sept1st@btinternet.com

And we must just mention those lovely people at Raspberry Village in Norwich who've donated a clock for the raffle....

Ciao!

Now we're cooking!

Progress towards our sponsorship target is just amazing - we've now raised nearly £1200 towards our £1500 target. So a big thank you to all those who've sponsored us to date.

As well as handing over money, people are also helping in kind and so special thanks to Susan, Alison's workmate, and her sister Caroline. Together, they have prepared our big book of recipes which we're now selling for the cause. Not only have they given their time but also, through Caroline's printing business, they've donated the paper etc to get the books printed. And copies are now selling like hot cakes (sorry)!

Sponsorship update

The great news is that we've now raised £915 towards our target of £1500. As we're walking 100 kms, that means we're aiming to raise £15 for every kilometre we walk which in turn means we've raised the equivalent of  61 kms so far. And when we have walked 61 kms we'll have passed Steyning, the end of the sixth stage of the walk, and be on our way to Devil's Dyke.

Devil's Dyke

According to legend, the devil was digging a trench to allow the sea to flood the churches in Sussex. The digging disturbed an old woman who lit a candle. This made the devil believe that it was already morning and he fled the site leaving behind a large V-shaped valley in the chalk grassland. According to one website, it is the largest dyke in the UK and here's a lovely view of it.

The photo has been copied from the National Trust website. Devil's Dyke is just one of many sites managed by the Trust - click here for more info www.nationaltrust.org.uk

If at first the boots don't work.....

When you have a bad boot day, as Heather did recently on the 20 mile training walk, then what you have to do is have another walk to make friends with your boots again. Which is why Heather and Helen were eating fish and chips on the Norfolk coast this weekend. To be fair that came after the 10 mile walk from Warham to Wells and back. The walk went well, Heather's boots came through with flying colours and she said she could do it all over again.

Flip flops - not necessarily Heather's

Another thing we've learnt is how much changing footwear helps the when doing long walks. Heather changed into flip-flops  at the end of the walk which really helped her. Now to see whether the team will do their next training walk entirely in flip-flops. Somehow......

We get the goat!

Helen, Aly, Timmy, Alison and Heather

4everfriends thought it would be nice to have a mascot to bring us luck on the walk. And what better mascot to have then a goat. Goats are nimble on their feet, which is what the team will have to be over the South Downs in the dark. And here are the team with their new mascot Timmy the Goat at Jimmy's Farm, near Ipswich (Timmy's the one in the middle).

Thanks to Jimmy's Farm for letting us 'adopt' Timmy. He won't be with us on the walk, although we'll be thinking of him. Should also add Jimmy's Farm is a great day out and they do lovely sausages. Click here for more info.