Mt Everest ‘Think Big’ Trek 2010

  
“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.”
Edmund Hillary

Next month I am off on what will be one of the biggest life changing experiences I may ever have!  

I’m hoping to completely overhaul my mind, the way I see life and business, develop my creativity, create new opportunities and contacts plus become even more passionate about all aspects of my business, my clients businesses and the importance of a balanced life style. 

I am now appealing to my valued clients for support and sponsorship of my huge task being the climb to Base Camp Mt Everest, a 21 day hike in what I would consider quite exceptionally different conditions to what I am accustomed to. 

If you would like to sponsor my trek any support would be most graciously appreciated …. Please click here for more interesting information about the trek and see how you can help and promote your business.

Gokyo Lakes Associate Sponsors

$ 250 – $ 900 (to date)

       www.jobsmart.net.au                      www.accountingnorth.com.au
          more info here                                         more info here

Now you know why I have been doing so much walking of late!

Well this was a little gem I climbed on the weekend. Wild Horse Mountain is not far South of Maroochydore near the Glass House Mountains. The 360 degree view was absolutely amazing and well worth the short but steep climb! (top 9 photos)

Wild Horse Mountain lookout track (123m) – 1.4km return (Allow 1 hour) Class 3
The lookout is in Beerburrum State Forest, east of the Bruce Highway. Turn off at the Mobil Service Station and drive along Johnston Rd to the lookout. Named after the brumbies (wild horses) that once lived there, Wild Horse Mountain offers a paved track to the lookout from the carpark. Enjoy 360-degree views of Pumicestone Passage, coastal plains, the Glass House Mountains and forestry plantations from the sheltered fire tower platform.

The following day I climbed Cooroora Mountain at Pomona again. This is a fun but hard climb, you feel like you have had a great workout afterwards! This time is wasn’t poring rain … (bottom 6 photos)

This popular mountain walk that rises to 439m is a steep and difficult. Every July the Pomona King of the Mountain challenge takes place and the record is about 20 minutes to the top and back. Allow two hours and that will still be some effort on this steep climb with some loose stones.

On Sunday I ran in the first ever Cane to Coral fun run with some friends.

I came in 3mins under my projected time which surprised me as there were a few long hills and the heat was extraordinary! The temperature in Bundaberg on Sunday was 26.6°C during the day and we were running in the direct sun, no shade nor not much breeze for my 1:27min run. This heat is quite unusual for the middle of winter!

The race was very popular with over 2,000 entrants and was extremely well run and organised. Thank you to all the sponsors (myself included) organisers and volunteers! Especially Neil and Anita! Can’t wait for next years!

This event is organised by cane2coral incorporated with the help and support of many volunteers and sponsors to raise money and awareness for ‘The QLD Cancer Council’ and ‘Bundaberg Surf Life Saving Club.

Now here’s an interesting FOUR hour walk I did last weekend!

The first hour was spent crossing the mud flats at Gatakers and Eli Creek. The waterproof boots had to be removed here as the water was up past the top to our shins. Thongs were also needed for the crustaceans on the sea bed.

We had another water crossing a couple of hours into the walk and ran through this one which was about 10cm deep and our hiking boots kept our feet perfectly dry!

After four hours we finally reached Goody’s Restaurant; it was like a mirage on the horizon. Emma & I enjoyed a couple of beers and a good laugh before being picked up by a friend from Hervey Bay!

This walk is a must do and on low tide only! I can’t wait to do it again!

Sunday morning was so gorgeous at 6am I went for a 3:20min, 15km walk from Enzo’s at Scarness to Gataker’s Bay Boat Ramp and back with a couple of friends along our beautiful foreshore. The weather was perfect and I hadn’t walked around this way since I was a child so there were a lot of fun memories plus I’d forgotten just how beautiful our foreshore is.

When walking on the sand I said to my friend, “Holy Cr#p check out the size of that dogs paw print!!” who was then kind enough to point out to me it was actually a kangaroo foot print …

We made it to the summit of Gataker’s Bay hill which would be approximately 20m above sea level! (For experienced climbers only ha ha lol)

Today we ‘Raced the Rattler’ in Gympie, being an 18.5km foot race against the famous ‘Valley Rattler’ Steam Train.

The train departed Gympie Station for Dagun at 8.00 am with the first 300 runners and the race back to the station began at 9.30am.
There was just over 400 runners in total.
The first runners crossed the finish line shortly after 10.30 am.

We were told the course was a little hilly but I think that was the biggest understatement of the year. The whole course was nonstop HILLS OMG!!!

What a fantastic challenge. We all had an awesome time with some very fast run times!

The countryside was beautiful with some trail running also on the course.

We enjoyed a lovely BBQ in the park afterwards before coming home.

Not long now and I’m off trekking around Fraser Island for the 3^rd time on Saturday 17th July 2010.

The Fraser Island Challenge is a fun walk / run across picturesque World Heritage listed Fraser Island QLD in One Day to raise Money in the name of Australian Cancer Charities.

Unique in that participants can choose their cancer related charity to raise donations for AND it is the first event of it’s size run in a QLD National Park.

From the beautiful Kingfisher Bay Resort & Village to the beach front resort at Eurong 100 competitors follow a course on established tracks (25km) with an extension option for elite competitors around the lake Wabby circuit (total 50km)…. Click here to find out more or register in the event.

Competitors in this event independently raise funds for their preferred Cancer Charity using a custom donation tracker on the event web site, with 100% of donations going directly to the selected charity

Please show your support and sponsor me …

proceeds go to the Queensland Cancer Council.

This weekend it was off to Noosa for my first Half Marathon.

Saturday after picking my friend Emma up from the airport we decided on an impromptu climb up Mt Coolum. The sign says experienced climbers only – 2hr return, well we must be elite athletes to do it in 40mins in our thongs! In hindsight we probably shouldn’t have risked an injury before our big run on Sunday morning.

We did it! Our first ever official half marathon, 21km without stopping!

We had a gorgeous day, leaving from Lions Park at Hastings St to Tewantin and back then a repeat of this.  Race map here.
Emma came in just under 2hrs and I was just over. Official time; Jeanette & Emma.
It was great to see the variety in ages, sizes and fitness levels all trying their hardest and encouraging each other on. This year our name was on our race number so spectators were cheering our names out loud as we ran past.
We burnt 1300 calories each during the run.

Click here to learn more 

What a way to remember all our brave soldiers with a bit of pain ourselves on this Anzac Day, nothing compared to what they endured so that we may enjoy our FREEDOM!

We were up at 4.15am and headed to Mt Glorious in Brisbane. I completed the 25km with Emma in 4:45mins at a fairly steady pace. It was lovely of Ray from Backtrack Adventures to organise the hike (with our friend Chris Rowe) plus come with us. Ray was up at midnight and did the 25km loop in the dark then met us at 6am to do the loop again! (What a Powerhouse!) 

The views were awesome with us trekking in the bush, passing streams and going through rainforest. There were quite a few leeches so take your salt or cigarette lighter on this hike …. none hopped on me fortunately!!!

I also wore my Anzac badge and took up some Australian flags to honour our soldiers as we would miss the Anzac service this year….. what a fantastic hike, I’ll be doing this one again.

Was so much fun!

A big thank you to Enrique for his awesome 2 hour lesson.
We had a fantastic turn out with Zumba enthusiasts of all ages and sizes completing the full two hours!!!

Also thank you to all who attended and sponsored this FUN event! 
I can’t wait for the next one!

Jeanette Maynes wants to shake up the idea of setting a Queensland record with Fraser Coast Zumba enthusiasts.

And if you’re not hooked yet, she says it won’t take long.

The owner of Design House in Hervey Bay and organiser of the popular Salsa Group, has teamed up with dance enthusiast Enrique Salomao for a fun two-hour Zumba 500 workout at the Great Hall, Beach Rd Pialba, this Saturday, April 17.

“We are aiming to get 500 people on Saturday.  But that’s just the start,” she said.

Ms Maynes says Zumba 500 isn’t just for fitness gurus; just about anyone can come along and give it a go, male or female.

“There is no room to feel uncomfortable.  You just go at your own pace. Everyone is too busy getting their own groove on to look at you” she said.

“It’s for all shapes and all ages.  They’re people in their 60s and 70s that come along to Zumba and can certainly keep up.”

“For that whole lesson I’m getting a huge maximum workout. It’s so much fun, and you feel awesome for the rest of the day.”

The party starts with registration at 9.30am at a cost of $15. The event runs from 10am to noon.

Make sure you dress in comfortable and sporty clothing. Children welcome.

To find out more visit www.salsagroup.com.au

On the weekend I went to the Bunya Mountains and enjoyed a relaxing and exercise filled weekend thanks to a very kind invitation from one of my training partners and his wife. We stayed at their beautiful home “Characters”.

On Saturday my friend and I did 8.6km kilometres of hill and rainforest running.
There were wallabies everywhere plus we also feed some parrots!

We also went on a Clydesdale carriage ride into the rainforest and had the yummiest damper and billy tea and sampled roasted bunya nuts. The horses can get up to quite a fast pace, it was very exciting! Please contact Allan Govan on 4668 3115 if you are interest in the horse and carriage ride, you won’t be disappointed.

That evening we enjoyed a delicious 3 course meal at local restaurant Puzzles at Rice’s Log Cabin, ph: 4668 3133. We started with bunya nut bread then I had pumpkin, sweet potato & zucchini soup, chicken for my main, followed by five different desserts on the one plate. The food was absolutely scrumptious and the service friendly and prompt! 

Sunday it was off for a 17km hike through the rainforest to the Wescott Picnic area and back, followed by a huge BBQ lunch back at our gorgeous 3 story accommodation.

We warmly welcome you to our mountain paradise, peacefully nestled adjacent to 1,700ha of subtropical rainforest National Park, where we offer you eco-tourism accommodation and function facilities with the magical Bunya Mountain difference Experience the Bunya Mountains where…Time stops and Paradise begins

To find out more on accommodation at the Bunya Mountains please click here. 

The Bunya’s are the most beautiful place, I had the experience of a life time and I can’t wait to go back!

Yesterday I set off with some mates to map out the route for a trail run across Fraser Island to be hosted later in the year (click here to subscribe for info on the event). I hiked / jogged 25km from Kingfisher Bay Resort to Eurong Resort the width of Fraser Island. We ran though bush, soft sand and beautiful rain forest. The 25km part of the trek took 5:45mins with a few breaks.

After lunch & a recharge break at Eurong the boys headed on further completing another 23km’s going up the beach to Lake Wabby, tackling a huge sand dune and came back around to meet us at the 4wd.

We were all thoroughly exhausted at the end of the day. I enjoyed a huge steak before we got the 8.30pm barge home last night.

It was an AWESOME ADVENTURE but I’m very stiff today!

Another beautiful day in Hervey Bay, that’s what!

This morning’s exercise regime:
10km bike ride, 3km run, 1000 steps, 300 sit ups + some SUPping (Stand Up Paddle Boarding)
…. followed by bacon, eggs and coffee.

The ocean was crystal clear this morning.

Life is good! 

Blast from the past for my readers, some info on my experience in the 2001 Darwin Beer Can Regatta:

Though I did WIN:
2001 -Winner Darwin Beer Can Regatta; Best Beer Can Boat (A trophy)
2001 – Winner Darwin Beer Can Regatta; Best Beach Attire (A cheque) 

 I had the initiative to contact XXXX head office in Brisbane and asked them if they would sponsor my boat and supply me 3,000 sealed cans.

They were happy to do this and freighted the cans in two large boxes to me in Darwin plus supplied some mens XXXX t-shirts, a flag and stickers.
All I had to do then was enclose the cans in chicken fence wire to make my 6 seater catamaran as the cans were sealed.
There were no gluing cans together so I saved heaps of time and knew I would float! (Quite ingenious really!!!) 

I and my team of friends had an Absolute ball!!!

THE TEN CAN-MANDMENTS

1. Thou shalt enter the event in the right spirit

2. Thou shalt build the craft of cans.

3. The craft shall float by cans alone.

4. Thou shalt not drown.

5. Thou shalt not take the name of the craft in vain. Any craft bearing signs or lettering that may be offensive will be barred.

6. Thou shalt not drift from the straight and narrow and end up at Mandorah.

7. Thou shalt not protest too much.

8. Thou shall honor thy Committee.

9. Thou shalt not commit adultery – nothing really to do with the Regatta, but it gives us an air of responsibility and respect.

10. Thou shalt go back and read the first can-mandment again.

That’s my New Years Resolution!

And unfortunately it’s not a 6 pack of Pure Blonde BEER, it’s to do with my stomach muscles!!!! OMG

Today’s training 12km bike ride, 1500 stairs, 200 sit ups + 80 push ups! TICK!

Bring it on, HOOYAH!

Today at 10.30am I went to Changes Gym in Hervey Bay for my first ever ZUMBA class.

Ricky Salomao our Instructor is from Rio in Brazil and certainly put us through a FUN & High energy workout!

Ricky was extremely funny as he instructed us how to do our Latin fitness moves to the pumped up Latin music.

The Zumba® program fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves to create a one-of-a-kind fitness program that will blow you away. Our goal is simple: We want you to want to work out, to love working out, to get hooked.

….. click here to learn more.

Ricky also mentioned to me he would be training people to take over to tackle the Kokoda Trail plus doing adventure & training days on Fraser Island. I’m in!!!!

I can’t wait till he returns from vacation in January so I can start attending regular ZUMBA classes!

Saturday night was the hugest Salsa Party to date with over 200 people dancing up a Salsa storm @ the Bayswater. 

The fun started at lunch time with Hervey Bay’s Jeanette Maynes from Design House and event manager of the Salsa Group parading the incredible Latin dance performers from Vida Latina Dance Co. along our Esplanade at Torquay promoting their upcoming performance; Latin Fantasy “Lolita’s Story’ creating quite a stir ….. click here to read more about the party and view the gallery.

A big Thank You to the Vida Latina Dance Troupe, I Harte Latin, the Bayswater Hotel, Design House, Fraser Coast Chronicle & the Salsa Group and all those who attended making these nights possible!!!!