By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
ONE hundred kilometres is a long way to walk.
But on Friday 9 April, Andray Voronov from Narre Warren will take part in the 2016 Oxfam Trailwalker which will see the 27-year-old and seven teammates walk 100 kilometres from Jells Park in Wheelers Hill to Wesburn to raise money for the charity.
Andray owns and runs Bootcamp HQ, a gym he operates in Hallam, so he and his other Trailwalker team mates have been trying to get in good shape before the event.
“The main reason I wanted to do it was because it’s challenging, it’s not something most people would do willy nilly,” Andray said.
“It will test our mental capability and it’s about pushing yourself through it.
“It’s not only a physical challenge but it’s also a mental and emotional challenge, which is why I was drawn to it.”
The walk is expected to take Andray’s eight-person team 24 hours, which means no sleeping for that entire time.
The team has so far raised more than $1400 which will go towards Oxfam.
Andray said he and the other walkers had already started to get to know the track, having practised with a ‘short’ 50-km hike.
“We’ve done quite a few walks along the actual trail,” he said.
“We have a pretty good idea of when the hills are, when to take it easy and when to push it a bit harder.”
The Oxfam Trailwalker event was started up in 1981 as a training exercise for the elite Queen’s Gurkha Signals Regiment in Hong Kong.
It has since grown to become one of the world’s biggest team events with almost 200,000 people taking part over the years to raise $140 million.
Oxfam works with local communities to try to create sustainable solutions to poverty.
The charity promotes the importance of education, ensuring access to clean water, teaching how to grow food, and advocating for basic rights.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/bootcamphq.
