See Australia
Run 2002
1 runner,
3978km, 5 million steps, 67 days,
from Perth to Sydney, January to March 2002
From January 6th to March 13th 2002, a Sydney teenager
ran solo across the nation averaging 60km every day raising funds
and awareness for The Fred Hollows Foundation flying the 2002 Year
of The Outback flag.
With a support crew of 8 (rotating between 2 and 4 at any one time),
the team left the shores of the Indian Ocean from Perth, WA and
traversed the Nullabor Plain and the states of SA, VIC and NSW,
before arriving at Australia's famous Bondi Beach, Sydney to complete
an epic adventure from coast to coast. With exposure to nearly 12
million Australians the run raised in excess of $30000 for the internatioonal
sight-restoring work of The Fred Hollows Foundation.
Background
In January 2001, twenty-four runners raced from Perth to Canberra,
averaging 73km per day for 65 days. I
(Don Maclurcan) crewed for a few of the Aussie contenders and the
Latvian champion.
The
Trans-Australia Footrace was extremely emotional and highly
problematic. However, the resounding imprint of my continent crossing
was what I saw.
Our reception in Kalgoorlie, the breathtaking Nullabor, arriving
at the Bunda Cliffs in South Australia and the bizarre characters
we met along the road made the trip awesome.
The vast majority of Australians could not accurately describe
the Nullabor Plain or understand the extent of its beauty. We choose
to travel overseas before exploring our own backyard.
My run emphasised sight. By continuing to raise money
for The Fred Hollows Foundation, I hope
to assist their global campaign to eradicate preventable blindness
by 2020. Through the restoration of vision, others may experience
the beauty I've seen. With your help this is possible.
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