MAXIM Wood, 79, of Blairgowrie was the oldest person to participate in this year’s 100 kilometre Oxfam Trailwalker fundraising event.
The event saw teams of four walking and running for 48 hours or less through the Dandenong and Yarra Valley ranges.
Teams raised at least $1400 to participate and Melbourne teams raised $2.2 million for Oxfam’s work tackling poverty in communities around the world. Teams raised an average $3548.
This year’s event Mr Wood’s tenth trailwalk and saw his team – Eulers Bridge, with teammates, son Miguel Wood, Fiona Morrison and Jacinta Little – in 31 hours and 48 minutes. The average time to complete the course was 28 hours and 49 minutes.
Their time saw them come 387th in the field of 576 teams which finished (612 teams started, but some retired).
Ms Morrison had to pull out of the event with an injury soon after the 6.30am start time on Friday, so the three teammates brought her back to the registration tent before starting again without her.
“I know the oldest marathon runner is 100 years old, he’s a Boston marathon runner. He did it in about 12 hours,” Mr Wood said.
The last team in the Oxfam Trailwalker Melbourne, GCM3 Geogirls, crossed the finish line in a time of 44 hours and 40 minutes; the fastest team, Dog Day Afternoon, came in on Friday night in 11 hours, 25 minutes.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 18 April 2017
