For team GottaKeepWalking, Trailwalker 2008 is over.  Over the weekend of the 19th and 20th July, we spent 28 hours and 10 minutes of our lives walking 100km of the South Downs in aid of Oxfam.  At the time of writing this we are just £10 short of reaching £2500 - that's £500 over our original target.  We cannot thank you enough for visiting our website and supporting our cause.

For the past 7 months we have dedicated our lives to Trailwalker.  Weekends have been spent completing long training walks, evening have been spent totting up the mileage with walks around the block, and over the past fortnight or so, every spare minute has been put aside for preparing kit, food and equipment, and planning the weekend thoroughly.  So thoroughly in fact that our estimated completion time matched our actual time to the exact minute.  Now that is planning!  We have lived and breathed Trailwalker and it has been the experience of a lifetime.

On a personal note, I would like to thank my team mates, three truly incredible people: Lucy, Lindsey and Victoria.  They posses inner strength and determination beyond measure, and retained their usual chirpy, positive outlook on life, no matter what Trailwalker could throw at them.  I often joked when one would say "I couldn't think of a better group of people to do this with" that "neither can I, apart from the long list of people who turned me down!".  Most sincerely, there is no way I could imagine completing such a gruelling event without the support of these 3 lovely ladies.  Thank you for creating such an incredible team spirit, for  the laughter and the cameraderie.  At some point in our lives we will face challenges tougher than Trailwalker, but our experiences of the past weekend will stand us in good stead to achieve anything.

As a team we would like to thanks our support crews from the bottom of our hearts.  Without you it could not have been achieved.  Lou, thank you for racing around after us only hours before completing your own Triathlon event, and for your endless supplies of Tiger Balm!  John, we salute you for your sterling tent putting up and taking down skills, and for being there at the start and finish for us, seeing us off and seeing us home.  Gill, we would not have enjoyed the build up to the event without you giving up your Friday evening to lug tents up and down the driveway for us, and then being there along the way to spur us on with cakes and kind words.  Tony, thanks for the massages, for the night time searches for coffee, and for always being there at every checkpoint to cheer us home.  Cammie, thank you so much for the endless provision of food, snacks and drinks along the way, as well as your heart-warming friendly banter and humour.  Frankie, great repect for joining us for 18 miles of the trail, keeping our flagging spirits up throughout the hours of darkness and for those incredible photographs that will allow us to relive Trailwalker for the rest of our lives.  Sarah, your enthusiasm knows no limits; and your cheering and waving at the end of stage 8 perhaps saved our Trailwalker experience - surely an outstanding Trailwalker of years to come.  And Douglas, what can we say, you have lived and breathed Trailwalker with us, and for your patience, love and support of us all over the past 7 months we are forever indebted to you.  Should any of you take up the challenge of Trailwalker next year, we will be there to repay the immense favour you did us this year, it would be an honour.

We would like to thank our families and friends for your endless support and love.  Mum and Wilf for driving our weary bodies home on Sunday, and to everyone for your text messages and phone calls throughout the night.  You were there with us and without these pick me ups we may not have made it to cross the finish line.

To all who have supported us with sponsorship, we thank you for your generosity.  Every penny has counted towards helping us surpass all expectations.  Your kindness will change someone's life. 

And one final thank you, to Oxfam and the Gurkhas.  What an event you put on.  We have the upmost respect for the Gurkhas and volunteers who clapped, cheered and encouraged us at every checkpoint and road crossing along the way.  Respect.

Our Trailwalker does not end here as we hope to keep fundraising over the summer and who knows, perhaps edge closer towards the £3000 mark.  Until next time, thank you everybody for the experience of our lives.

GottaKeepWalking

Stop Press!  Click the link below for Oxfam's website, you might recognise some weary but incredibly proud walkers!

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/get_involved/fundraise/trailwalker/index.html