Oxfam Trailwalker 2008 ~THANK YOU SUPPORT CREW!

We did it! YAY! All 100km... or was it 103.3km?! Read on to hear all about it...! But not before reading this special Tribute to Our Incredible Support Crew without whom this event would have been impossible for us.

Each of the team have decided to write a little about their Support crew... just to let EVERYONE know how fantastic they have been.... and how incredible we think they are...
Just because a Thank you is written by one person... it doesnt mean the whole team are not grateful... WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL!

THANK YOU TREV (written by Gina)

• Thank you for taking time off work to support me.
• Thank you for doing all the driving. I learn something new every time I travel with you.
• Thank you for joining the team for the briefing and registration, and filling out the forms.
• Thank you for waking up at 5.45am on Saturday morning and getting me to the start line by 6.30am
• Thank you for organising all of my gear (clothes, shoes, mammoth first aid kit) and food at each of the check points.
• Thank you for all of the hugs at each of the check points, I could not have finished without them.
• Thank you for dashing out to meet me on the course with some medications
• Thank you for getting within close proximity to my smelly socks
• Thank you for your big warm puffy jacket at the last checkpoint - I needed it!
• Thank you for walking the last 7km to the finish line with me, it took my mind off the pain
• Thank you for staying awake from 5.30am on Saturday morning until 7pm on Sunday night.
• Thank you for paying for the accommodation
• Thank you for the millions of other things you did over the weekend to support Mariska, Avril, Andre and myself. Your help made it possible for us to finish.

THANK YOU ADAM... (written by Gina)

• Thank you for understanding that weekends weren’t actually weekends, but training walks
• Thank you for knowing when I was tired and grumpy and just needed to blob
• Thank you for being in Taupo to support me
• Thank you for buying dinner on Friday night
• Thank you for waking up at 5.45am on Saturday morning and being there at the start line
• Thank you for all of the hugs at each of the check points, I could not have finished without them.
• Thank you for trying to get my change of shoes to me after checkpoint 1
• Thank you for making me hot cups of soup and milo
• Thank you for the shoulder massages
• Thank you for dashing in and out of town on your scooter to pick up extra supplies.
• Thank you for keeping my nose warm J
• Thank you for walking the last 4km to the finish line with me, it took my mind off the pain
• Thank you for playing “Someone Stole My Car” as we walked to the finish line (and thank you for your perseverance it getting a copy of it)
• Thank you for the piggy back from the finish line to the car J
• Thank you for the millions of other things you did over the weekend to support Mariska, Avril, Andre and myself. Your help made it possible for us to finish.

THANK YOU MATT (written by Mariska)

I can’t thank you enough for supporting me and the ‘someone stole our car’- team: Avril, Gina and Andre, through the months of training leading up to April and through the actual event.

Leading up to the big walk you were there, giving up on your sleep in, to drop us off in the early morning hours for yet another training walk, picking us up again afterwards ensuring we were supplied with cold drinks and ice-creams. You were there waiting with home made pizza for us after 3 hour walks home from work. And you were still there when I returned after abandoning you weekend after weekend of training walks away from home. After every walk you were there with warm arms, hugs and rubs and listened to me complaining about blisters, sore muscles and dehydration headaches. Your help was crucial in the preparation of a fundraising bbq. And all of that before we started the actual 100 km walk!

Also a big thank you to you for drawing on your expertise and organizing our vehicle and the essential gear such as the easy-up, the chairs, the tables, water containers, a hot water container and lights; looking at some of the other teams sitting on tarpaulins on the ground we were very lucky. You loaded up the ute with all the gear, allowing for another support vehicle to travel down on the back, and drove us to Taupo after you finished night shoots. And of course very, very special thanks for rubbing my feet at every stop, the smell must have been overwhelming as the kilometers added up but you didn’t complain once!

THANK YOU LORRAINE (written by Andre)

You were an absolute star! You have supported us right through from start to finish. You were even there at Grey Lynn park festival where this madness all started! :-)
So we say thank you not only the pancakes, the pasta salad and the support you gave us on the Oxfam weekend, but it was also the support that you provided us right the way through. You have been there on most weekends, supporting us on our training walks - particularly the long ones. (The little red car at the end of the Tongoriro crossing, the pit stops in the Domain and at Onehunga on our Long Bay to Green Bay walk, the lunch stop and ultimately lift from the Eastern Bays walk are just a few examples.) All we can say, is that you are GREAT!


THANK YOU GRANDAD (written by Avril)
We all thought it was incredibly special to have you there at the event with us Granda... not just me. You flew all the way from Ireland at 90 years of age, and didnt even realise that if you arrived in time for the event you would be put to work! All your support and help with looking out for Aiden and loading up the car etc. was really appreciated! Thank you especially for your generous donation, your words of encouragement and for being there to welcome us in to Checkpoints 2 and 3... and of course the Finish.




THANK YOU MARK AND FINNUALA (written by Avril)
I dont really have enough words to express my gratitude to you both. You are the absolute best parents any daughter could wish for. Your support throughout my training and throughout this event has been amazing... Thank you. Every high and low point you heard about and listened to without complaint... and your encouragement and support has helped me more than you know... Thank you! Thank you too for all the food you fed us after long walks during training... the bbqs and salads... for always opening your home up to me, the team and even the rest of the support crew.
Thank you both also for all the driving, fetching and carrying you have done through training walk weekends and especially for the loan of the van for the big event, for driving and for the petrol donations you have given to getting the support crew and extra supplies we have needed between Checkpoints. Thank you for the teams Tshirts and your generous donation towards the Support Crew Tshirts. Thank you for sorting out the accommodation in Taupo... and paying for it! Thank you Mum for all the lovely quiches you have made over the months for training walks... and for the quiches made for the whole crew at our big event- delicious and much appreciated by all! Thank you for the scrumptious biscuits too! Thank you also Mum for your hours of hard work in the kitchen melting chocolate and making Easter Eggs... thanks to you we made hundreds of dollars for Oxfam... and more than reached our target. Thank you both for being there this weekend... for your hugs... your massages... your support(verbal and physical!)... your sorting through my gear and finding things for me when I was too tired... your being there at the start... your being there at every stop especially through the night! ... your being there at the finish!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!Thank you! Thank you!

THANK YOU MATT AND GAYLE... AND AIDEN!
(written by Avril)
You guys were the first to Sponsor us online~ without hesitation. You offered to be support crew way back in November~ without hesitation, even before you really knew what you might be asked to do! Thats brave... knowing you know me! Thats more than I could ever have hoped for and yet you did so much more!
You joined us on our massive training walk not long after you arrived in NZ... and despite blisters you were both there at the end walking out to meet us with your precious pineapple lumps to put smiles on our faces again and making sure we were well fed thereafter! Matt thanks for driving all the way from Wellington just for the weekend- having you there was really special- sorry if we werent all that chatty all the time! Between both of you, you managed to be there for every Checkpoint stop through the day and well into the night.. Thank you! You both provided words of encouragement and support before and during the event... and made sure I drank enough water... Thank you!!! Thank you for making biscuits and popcorn! Thank you for the water refills and food supplies... THANK YOU especially for the ICE CREAM that pulled us into Checkpoint 3! When I got tired later in the night, Gayle, you fetched/found my gear you gave me massages... Thank you! Thank you for taking photos... and for being there at the Finish! Thank you both for bringing Aiden... who provided a few laughs and kisses at stops... you are amazing to have supported us the way you did whilst keeping an eye on the little guy! Thank you also for the input into the Tshirts... you spent hours phoning around and visiting places... they looked fantastic... Thank you!

You have a support crew person here ANYTIME you need her!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SUPPORTERS
Thoughout the lead up to the event we were bugging you all for sponsorship, bugging you all to buy chocolates, tuna and easter eggs, go on walks, attend bbqs... and you all did something! Not only that we have also been inundated with messages of support and encouragement. Your emails, text messages and phonecalls have all been very appreciated... Thank you from team Someone Stole our Car!

THANK YOU OXFAM
Thank you for putting on this amazing event. In the lead up we can all confess to have had moments of wishing we had never signed up, but now in the aftermath of it all we are buzzing. We are proud to have achieved what we have, and we thank you for giving us the opportunity to do so! We thank you also for your help via phone calls and emails... we know we asked you hundreds of questions... you always got back to us! Thank you for the training weekend and all the tips you sent out in the newsletter! We all confess to being surprised at how well the event was run on the weekend... Sorry... and THANK YOU for you efficiency!
THANK YOU from TEAM SOMEONE STOLE OUR CAR to all of you and the volunteers you recruited to make this event happen.