The count-down is on; track our progress throughout the walk

With only two days to go before the hike, the count-down has well and truly started.

While team Techno Trotters finish their final preparations, we would like to share a fun and easy way for you to share in the action. For the duration of the hike you will be able to track our progress by clicking here, where you'll find a map that will be updated every 10 minutes via GPS feed.

For anyone planning to meet us at the end, Georges Heights in Mosman, this is a great way to know when you should arrive. Hope to see you there!

21 August 2011 - A Final Walk before the Big Day

Well the Big Day is nearly here!!  Despite the rather unpleasant looking weather we were really keen to have one last go on the trail so we decided what better way that to tackle the toughest leg and roughest part of the third leg?  We were also keen to try and replicate the Event as best we could so we started at Cowan Station at about the time we hope to passing through on Friday - around 1200.  After a brisk warm up walk to the first checkpoint we headed off down the trail towards Berowra.  Despite the threatening clouds the early part of the walk had some lovely sunshine and enough wildflowers to tempt Tony into his photography again (see below).

12 August 2011 - A Night Training Session

With less than two weeks until the big day, what a fantastic way to finish a wet week at work - a snappy 17km walk on a Friday night!  After a few weeks of focusing on endurance it was time to clear the cobwebs and try for some pace - it also helped that the threat of more rain was very strong!  Having pre-located a car at Balmoral Beach earlier in the day we had a very good reason to walk even if the weather didn't look too promising.

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.

29 July 2011 - Sphinx to Roseville Bridge

Our big night walk!  After a busy week at work what better way to finish than an Oxfam Training Walk on Friday night?  We all finished work a bit earlier and headed to Roseville Bridge to drop off a car before heading back to the Sphinx.  After a slow crawl through the Friday night peak hour traffic (it is amazing how much more traffic there is around at 6pm on a Friday than 6am on a Saturday!) we arrived at the Sphinx and got set for our adventure.

16 July 2011 - Macfarlane Reserve to Roseville Bridge

This was our first night walk for 2011, and the very first trail night walk for Ian and Deb. There was certainly a chill in the air, but that soon disapperaed as we warmed up. The trail through this section, affectionatley known as "Fangorn Forest" is quite rugged with many tree roots and rocks to pick our way through. It is a challenging section during the day but at night it takes on a new perspective.

9 July 2011 - Brooklyn to Berowra

With Ian safely back from refereeing the Touch Football World Cup it was time to get him out on the trail.  A nice early start on a crisp morning is a good way to clear the cobwebs.  We tackled the concrete path at the start with little hassle so we progressed through the early parts of the first leg with confidence.  It was great to see some other Oxfamers on the trail.  There were a couple of stops to adjust some pre-emptive strapping so a first leg time of 3:15hrs was not unexpected.

2 July 2011 - Macfarlane Reserve to End

The time has come to get serious with some longer walks and with the prospect of a nice sunny day, what better way to finish a walk than with the section along Balmoral Beach?  So it was off to find Macfarlane Reserve (the replacement checkpoint to Kambora School) ready for a leisurely 0700 start.

25 June 11 - Roseville Bridge to End

In need of some exercise, Fred and AJ decided to tackle a couple of legs while the others had previous commitments.  After a leisurely 0800 start at Roseville Bridge we headed off towards Ararat Reserve at a good pace arriving in just under 1:30hrs.  After a quick break for a mandarin (or several in Fred's case) we set off on the last leg.  Being Saturday there were lots of people out at Seaforth Oval and also Balmoral Beach enjoying the good weather.  We arrived at the end checkpoint just after 1130 for a time of 3:35hrs for the

Cp7 – Cp8
Start Time: 07:50am
Duration: 1:30:32
Finish Time: 09:20am
Distance: 7.20km
Average Pace: 12:35 min/km
Average Speed: 4.8 km/h

Cp8 - Finish
Start Time: 09:33am
Duration: 1:58:11
Finish Time: 11:31am
Distance: 10.79km
Average Pace: 11:02min/km
Average Speed: 5.4 km/h

Total Time: 3:29:18
Total Distance: 29.33km

19 June 2011 - Berwora to St Ives

THE WALKERS:  AJ, Deborah, Fred, Tony R


Cp2 – Cp3   
Start Time: 7:23am   
Duration: 3:02:03   
Finish Time: 10:25am   
Distance: 13.83km   
Average Pace: 13:10 min/km   
Average Speed: 4.6 km/h

Cp3 – Cp4 
Start Time: 10:39am 
Duration: 1:23:18 
Finish Time: 12:03pm 
Distance: 6.71km 
Average Pace: 12:25 min/km 
Average Speed: 4.8 km/h 
Cp4 - Cp5   
Start Time: 12:09pm   
Duration: 2:17:07   
Finish Time: 2:26pm   
Distance: 9.32km   
Average Pace: 14:43min/km   
Average Speed: 4.1 km/h

Total Time: 6:42:28  
Total Distance: 29.86km

April and May - Independent Training

Due a number of extended absences the training during this period was independent.  Ian (our newest Team Member) was busy training to referee the World Touch Football Championships so he was getting heaps of good aerobic training.  The rest of us reverted to lunchtime walks in the Lane Cove National Park, stair training and the old faithful gym.

13 March 2011 - Cowan Station to Berowra

It was time to see if we could get through the tough second leg as well as we did the first leg.  This time AJ, Tony and Deb were joined by Deb's boyfriend Jacques.  We started the walk at Cowan Station and the completed the last part of the first leg before seetiing off on the second leg.  It was spectacular weather for walking with the freshness of the morning lasting through the toughest part of the leg.  All up it was a very pleasant morning and even the challenging climbs in this section did not seem so bad, although we did no hit them with quite the same intensity as we did during the Event last year.  By the time we got Berowra Community Hall we stoppoed the clock at 3:17hrs for the second leg - far from our best but a good start.

THE WALKERS:  AJ, Deborah, Jacques, Tony R

Cowan Station – Cp1   
Start Time: 6:57am   
Duration: 17:06   
Finish Time: 7:14am   
Distance: 1.59km   
Average Pace: 10.46 min/km   
Average Speed: 5.6 km/h

Cp1 - Cp2   
Start Time: 7:16am   
Duration: 3:17:01   
Finish Time: 10:33am   
Distance: 11.99km   
Average Pace: 16.26min/km   
Average Speed: 3.7 km/h

Total Time: 3.34:07  
Total Distance: 13.58km

27 February - Trail Training for 2011 Starts

Well almost exactly 6 months after the 2010 event we have begun trail training for 2011.  A group of enthusiastic walkers have been doing 1 hour lunchtime walks around the North Ryde bush tracks for several months, but this is the start of the trail training.

The team from last year are all back again (Tony R, Tony P, Fred and AJ), but with a number of new walkers expressing interest we are hopeful of a larger team pool when it comes time to nominate for Oxfam Trailwalker 2011.

WE MADE IT !!!

The Finish - yes the clock says 28:23:28 but we started 1:30:00 after the first group

Well Oxfam Trailwalker is all over for another year and WE MADE IT!!!

The Last Big Walk Before The Event

We were recently allocated our event start time of 0830 on Friday 27 August so with under two weeks to go we headed off for our last big walk before the event.    In order to be as realistic as possible we decided to make our start time close to our actual event start time so it was a bit of a sleep in for us and a Brooklyn start around 0800 - that's our excuse and we are sticking to it!!

11 July - Backing Up with 30km More

With the 50km from last weekend under our belts it was time to see if we could back it up with 30km more.  After week in which we all seemed to be hobbling to varying degrees we decided that we we had recovered enough and should hit the trail again.  As usual it was an early meeting at Berowra Station to travel to Brooklyn in one vehicle.  We arrived at Parsley Bay and got underway at 0551.

Our First 50km Walk & Welcome Back TP

  

Sunrise - Sunset

After a couple of wet weekends and false starts we finally got back out on the trail, and not ones to take it easy on ourselves we planned our first 50km walk for 2010.  It was also a significant event as we welcomed back Tony P after getting the "all-clear" from the Doc to resume training on his dodgy knee.  Given it was TP's first trail walk in some time we decided to plan things so that he could stop at the 30km mark while the rest of us carried on to 50km.  So it was a nice early start again with all of us meeting at Berowra Station at 0540 to leave TP's car and all head off in one car to Brooklyn.  Special thanks to Fred's wife Lynda for coming with us so early in the morning to drive the car back from Brooklyn.

Saturday 12 June 2010 - First Time in the Dark - well for 2010 at least!

"The Crack" - between Brooklyn and Cowan

Seeing as we got through last week so well it was time to up the ante again - this week was a double leg and a significant part of the first leg was done in the pre-dawn darkness. It was an opportunity for AJ to experience an extended walk on the trail in the dark, and an opportunity for the rest of us to refresh their memory. Just to make sure it wasn't too easy we decided to combine the darkness with the first two legs.

Back on the Trail - Cowan to Berowra

 
One of the trail’s many water features and a “fork in the road”


Time to see if the independent training has paid off. After the absolute soaking Sydney has received over the past 3-4 weeks it was with great pleasure we awoke at 0500 this morning to find dry ground and clear skies. So into the cars and off to the trail we went. In a bid to test ourselves on the section that caused us so much grief last time out we decided on the Cowan to Berowra leg again - we also figured this might be one the drier underfoot legs due to the more hilly terrain. 

Independent Training

Well it is hard to believe that it has been over six weeks since our last post. This period has been a bit fractured from a team training perspective with various members distributed around the country and the globe. What it has given us though is the opportunity for some independent training to work on our fitness and getting over those troublesome "niggling" injuries.

With the outside temperatures regularly getting over 45 deg during AJ's trip to Oman it meant lots of indoors training. While the treadmills and cross-trainers around the world got a good workout, the team has also returned to the office stairwell with a vengeance. With 15 floors in the building it is amazing how many stairs there are between the top and bottom. There is nothing like a few snappy circuits to get the blood pounding during a lunch break. While the first few days can be murder on your calves (just ask AJ) there is huge satisfaction in building up your stamina. With some of the team already up to 10 circuits at least every second day we have high hopes for our ability to survive those "bush staircases" on the trail.

Assuming the trail hasn't washed away with all of the rain in Sydney over the past few weeks, we will be back out there again this coming weekend - hope to see you there!

While the gym and stairs help, nothing beats the "great outdoors". These photos shows what the terrain would be like if Oxfam Trailwalk was to be held in Oman!