- J
Well the Surf Coast Century happened on Saturday... boy it was tough, but I made it!
I cannot thank everyone enough for their amazing support. Together we raised $2260 for Angel Flight Australia! I am thrilled that this money is going directly to help vulnerable remote-living Australians access specialist medical care that would otherwise be unavailable to them. A truly wonderful outcome - thank you.
The run itself was extremely memorable and I've included my personal race report below for anyone who'd like to have a read. Thank you again!
SURF COAST CENTURY
5th December 2020
RACE REPORT
Wow. What an experience. This run challenged me on so many levels!
The course itself was beautiful. We ran over vast stretches of beach, scrambled over rocks, and waded through the ocean. We followed single-track paths winding through coastal hinterland and incredible ironbark forests. We climbed (and climbed and climbed!) hill upon hill – to the most spectacular views. We met plenty of local wildlife – I saw wallabies, an echidna, and so many lovely birds.
The weather was mixed. Most of the day it was kind to us, not too hot or humid, but in the second half we got pelted with rain at various stages, and at one part my shoes felt like bricks as layers of sticky mud attached to their soles.
Physically, I found this run extremely challenging, even more so than I imagined. My legs got tired much quicker than they usually do, I guess partly due to the course terrain which I was not accustomed to after a lockdown in Melbourne. I found myself walking much more than I had hoped as the soreness in my legs built up hour after hour. By the end of the race I was also bruised and bloodied after a full-body tumble (though they say if you don’t come back bleeding, it wasn’t a trail run!), and with one less toenail attached (though lost toenails are badges of honour in the ultra-running world!).
I was still running/shuffling/walking late into the night, which presented its own challenges – navigating uneven ground with only a head torch, losing a sense of what the broader surroundings were, and at times being alone and a little nervous that the next course marker should appear soon (they always did!).
Along the run I met so many wonderful people. We shared tears and laughter as we experienced this intense day together. We kept each other company in the long hours of the night as the finish line still seemed an eternity away. I have no doubt we have all left the event changed people.
Events like this seem to offer their participants a great capacity for personal growth, and that was certainly the case for me. As my expectations of an exhilarating race experience plummeted as pain set into my legs and my mind struggled with the mental toughness to keep myself running, I learnt a lot about self-acceptance. At first when I found myself walking more and more and running less and less, I began berating myself for my ‘whimpiness’. I knew that my former self would never ‘give up’ so easily, as I watched my hopeful finish times slipping further and further away. But as time went on I reflected that it’s only natural that I can no longer compete the way I could 10 years ago or even 5 years ago… what mattered was that I was still giving it a go. And my determination to finish never wavered. To be out in stunning coastal wilderness doing what I love and living my life to the full was a privilege I was so grateful for.
On top of this I came to have a new level of gratitude for my incredible family – who love and accept me no matter what. Whether I was running brilliantly, or the last finisher, or a DNF, they were there for me, cheering me on wholeheartedly. What an incredible blessing. My wider family and circle of friends, as well as complete strangers, also gave me so much encouragement and support in fulfilling this dream of mine, and in donating to the cause I chose to support.
And the money raised for Angel Flight Australia is certainly the most valuable outcome of all. I am thrilled that together we raised $2260 for this wonderful charity that helps country Australians access specialist medical care that would otherwise be out of reach for them.
Thank you all so much for your incredible support throughout this journey. Your encouragement and moral support, as well as practical help and of course monetary donations to Angel Flight Australia, has meant so much to me.
Thank you!
Sally x
---------------------
Hi there, Sally here. Mum of three amazing children Toby, Ollie and Arabella, and wife of Christian. I'm also a two-time cancer survivor over the past four years.
Running has always been a big part of my life and has helped greatly in my recovery from cancer. On 5th December I am running in the Surf Coast Century, a 100km ultra marathon along Victoria's surf coast, raising money for Angel Flight Australia.
While undergoing cancer treatment I reflected a lot on how incredibly lucky I was to have such world-class medical care available to me so readily. Without this treatment being so quickly and easily available my outcomes may not have been so good, and my children could have been left without a mother.
Even with our privileged health care system, there are so many Australians for whom access to appropriate medical care is not so easy. People living in rural and remote areas simply don’t have the access to health services we in the city take for granted. As a result, people living in remote areas have not only a lower chance of surviving cancer, but sadly also significant differences in life expectancy overall.
Angel Flight Australia is a charity which coordinates non-emergency flights to assist country people with serious medical conditions to access specialist medical treatment that would otherwise be unavailable to them because of vast distance and high travel costs. All flights are free and assist passengers travelling to or from medical facilities almost anywhere in Australia.
Check out the amazing work they do on their website:
https://www.angelflight.org.au
and in these short videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auyrhlkJF1I&feature=emb_logo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms_s-pgnc4k&feature=emb_logo
Please join me in raising funds for this awesome charity which does incredible work for vulnerable people across our country.
I cannot thank everyone enough for their amazing support. Together we raised $2260 for Angel Flight Australia! I am thrilled that this money is going directly to help vulnerable remote-living Australians access specialist medical care that would otherwise be unavailable to them. A truly wonderful outcome - thank you.
The run itself was extremely memorable and I've included my personal race report below for anyone who'd like to have a read. Thank you again!
SURF COAST CENTURY
5th December 2020
RACE REPORT
Wow. What an experience. This run challenged me on so many levels!
The course itself was beautiful. We ran over vast stretches of beach, scrambled over rocks, and waded through the ocean. We followed single-track paths winding through coastal hinterland and incredible ironbark forests. We climbed (and climbed and climbed!) hill upon hill – to the most spectacular views. We met plenty of local wildlife – I saw wallabies, an echidna, and so many lovely birds.
The weather was mixed. Most of the day it was kind to us, not too hot or humid, but in the second half we got pelted with rain at various stages, and at one part my shoes felt like bricks as layers of sticky mud attached to their soles.
Physically, I found this run extremely challenging, even more so than I imagined. My legs got tired much quicker than they usually do, I guess partly due to the course terrain which I was not accustomed to after a lockdown in Melbourne. I found myself walking much more than I had hoped as the soreness in my legs built up hour after hour. By the end of the race I was also bruised and bloodied after a full-body tumble (though they say if you don’t come back bleeding, it wasn’t a trail run!), and with one less toenail attached (though lost toenails are badges of honour in the ultra-running world!).
I was still running/shuffling/walking late into the night, which presented its own challenges – navigating uneven ground with only a head torch, losing a sense of what the broader surroundings were, and at times being alone and a little nervous that the next course marker should appear soon (they always did!).
Along the run I met so many wonderful people. We shared tears and laughter as we experienced this intense day together. We kept each other company in the long hours of the night as the finish line still seemed an eternity away. I have no doubt we have all left the event changed people.
Events like this seem to offer their participants a great capacity for personal growth, and that was certainly the case for me. As my expectations of an exhilarating race experience plummeted as pain set into my legs and my mind struggled with the mental toughness to keep myself running, I learnt a lot about self-acceptance. At first when I found myself walking more and more and running less and less, I began berating myself for my ‘whimpiness’. I knew that my former self would never ‘give up’ so easily, as I watched my hopeful finish times slipping further and further away. But as time went on I reflected that it’s only natural that I can no longer compete the way I could 10 years ago or even 5 years ago… what mattered was that I was still giving it a go. And my determination to finish never wavered. To be out in stunning coastal wilderness doing what I love and living my life to the full was a privilege I was so grateful for.
On top of this I came to have a new level of gratitude for my incredible family – who love and accept me no matter what. Whether I was running brilliantly, or the last finisher, or a DNF, they were there for me, cheering me on wholeheartedly. What an incredible blessing. My wider family and circle of friends, as well as complete strangers, also gave me so much encouragement and support in fulfilling this dream of mine, and in donating to the cause I chose to support.
And the money raised for Angel Flight Australia is certainly the most valuable outcome of all. I am thrilled that together we raised $2260 for this wonderful charity that helps country Australians access specialist medical care that would otherwise be out of reach for them.
Thank you all so much for your incredible support throughout this journey. Your encouragement and moral support, as well as practical help and of course monetary donations to Angel Flight Australia, has meant so much to me.
Thank you!
Sally x
---------------------
Hi there, Sally here. Mum of three amazing children Toby, Ollie and Arabella, and wife of Christian. I'm also a two-time cancer survivor over the past four years.
Running has always been a big part of my life and has helped greatly in my recovery from cancer. On 5th December I am running in the Surf Coast Century, a 100km ultra marathon along Victoria's surf coast, raising money for Angel Flight Australia.
While undergoing cancer treatment I reflected a lot on how incredibly lucky I was to have such world-class medical care available to me so readily. Without this treatment being so quickly and easily available my outcomes may not have been so good, and my children could have been left without a mother.
Even with our privileged health care system, there are so many Australians for whom access to appropriate medical care is not so easy. People living in rural and remote areas simply don’t have the access to health services we in the city take for granted. As a result, people living in remote areas have not only a lower chance of surviving cancer, but sadly also significant differences in life expectancy overall.
Angel Flight Australia is a charity which coordinates non-emergency flights to assist country people with serious medical conditions to access specialist medical treatment that would otherwise be unavailable to them because of vast distance and high travel costs. All flights are free and assist passengers travelling to or from medical facilities almost anywhere in Australia.
Check out the amazing work they do on their website:
https://www.angelflight.org.au
and in these short videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auyrhlkJF1I&feature=emb_logo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms_s-pgnc4k&feature=emb_logo
Please join me in raising funds for this awesome charity which does incredible work for vulnerable people across our country.
Organizer
Sally Kuhlmann
Organizer
A
Angel Flight Australia
Beneficiary