6 August 2011 - Our First 50km Walk - Start to Sphinx

Well the day has finally come - time to do the big walks and see if all of the training has paid off. After all the rain of recent weeks we were hopeful that the good weather we had during the week would hold, and as as we left Parsley Bay the daylight arrived and we were not disappointed. It was a spectacular day for walking, if a little warmer than our recent expeditions.

The first leg was about as good as it gets on the trail - fresh air, clear skies, warm temperature and all of the spring flowers arrived early. There were also lots of our fellow Oxfamers out for their training walks as well - it must be getting close now!

After a couple of adjustments of the pre-emptive blister plasters we arrived at the first checkpoint in 3:22 - slow and steady. We stopped for a quick breakfast stop and discovered that Deb had half of Woolworths in her pack - at least we were not going to starve during the day :-)

We headed off towards Berowra Waters recharged (or was that just a sugar high?) The second leg was as spectacular as ever, however the clouds started to come over as we neared the end. By this stage we were well and truly focused on the thought of a burger for lunch (not quite the food of champions but certainly the food of weary Oxfam walkers!) The accompanying chips were probably not needed but they tasted great anyway - we know for future that we don't need a serving each so we found a grateful recipient of the last serving before heading off again and down the hill to Berowra Creek.

The walk up Lyrebird Gully was just as challenging as ever, and with AJ leaving us at the top he had some extra motivation to get up the steep bitumen track at the end. The rest of the crew continued on to Apple Tree Bay and an attempt to get through the Marina Gate before sundown. Unfortunately we failed, so it was a slow walk up the road to the car which Fred and Lynda had kindly relocated for us during the day.

All up it was a satisfying day and lots was learned about both the physical and mental challenges we face in the Event - bring it on!!!

THE WALKERS: AJ, Deb, Ian, Tony R

THE STATS:
Start – Cp1
Start Time: 6:20am
Duration: 3:22:35
Finish Time: 9:43am
Distance: 15.11km
Average Pace: 13:24 min/km
Average Speed: 4.5 km/h

Cp1 – Cp2
Start Time: 9:58am
Duration: 3:26:34
Finish Time: 1:24pm
Distance: 11.93km
Average Pace: 17:19 min/km
Average Speed: 3.5 km/h

Cp2 – Lunch and back
Start Time: 1:24pm
Duration: 0:09:02
Finish Time: 2:18pm
Distance: 0.65km
Average Pace: 13:49 min/km
Average Speed: 4.3 km/h

Cp2 – Cp3
Start Time: 2:18pm
Duration: 3:41:07
Finish Time: 5:59pm
Distance: 13.77km
Average Pace: 16:04 min/km

Average Speed: 3.7 km/h

Cp3 - Cp4
Start Time: 6:12pm
Duration: 1:24:21
Finish Time: 7:37pm
Distance: 5.65km
Average Pace: 14:56 min/km
Average Speed: 4.0 km/h

Total Time: 12:03:39
Total Distance: 47.10km