I would like to announce the official launch of  team ‘Fighting Koalas’ who will be tackling the 2009 Kokoda Challenge on the Gold Coast, July 18th & 19th. In the spirit of mateship Brec, Shaun, Peter and myself will join as a team and aim to complete the 96k trek through the hinterland of the Gold Coast in under 20 hours, testing the limits of the mind, body and spirit. We are excited to be part of such an event and will also be raising money for the Kokoda Challenge Youth Program (KCYP), a great cause making a difference in the lives of young people.

Since reading Kokoda by Peter Fitzsimons, I have been inspired and interested in events that took place on the Kokoda Trail in WWII. Amazing feats of bravery and mateship demonstrated time and time again by the Australian soldiers somehow stopped the Japanese advancing to Port Moresby and launching a full on assault on Australian soils.  

It is this trail in Papua New Guinea that the Kokoda Challenge was designed to reflect – with 96km representing the actual distance of the Kokoda Track and the 39 hours  (to complete the trail) symbolizing the 39th Militia who were the first of our Australian troops to arrive at Kokoda on 15th July 1942. It is in very different circumstances that we will be faced with the challenge, but I am sure the spirit of the Kokoda will be close to our hearts throughout the trek.

Brec, Shaun, Pete and myself invite you along for the journey to the Kokoda Challenge 2009 and call on your support for ‘Team Koala and the KCYP. You can become a fan on our Facebook Page ” Spirit of the Fighting Koalas“.

After being very slack for the past few months, I have decided to kick off my blog again, this time from Brisbane, Australia. It is a long way from the Nth Shore Mountains of Vancouver, which it is hard to compete with, but as I am finding out there are plenty of scenic and challenging (as I have already found out the hard way) trails to keep me out of trouble. 

Settling back after an extended time away always poses its challenges, but both Tanya and I are keeping pretty positive and confident it will all come together. I am still on the lookout for work and really hoping that I can secure a permanent position, as I am craving the routine and security that comes with it.

In regards to my running, after a great year in Canada I am pretty pumped about another big year, especially out on the trails. I already have one race under my belt, which will be my next posting, and have plenty more on the calendar to keep me motivated and training hard. I have managed to keep up a bit of running over the summer period and pretty happy at the fitness base I have heading into the year.

I thought it was about time I sat down and mapped out my year, always helps to have a bit of direction and know what is in store. I am planning to take part in most of the trail runs I can in the SE Brisbane area and also some further afield, good excuse to get away for the weekend. So here is my wish-list for 2009:

Mt Glorious – Sun 1 Feb – 32km mountain trail run
Wild Horse at Night – Sat 28 Mar – 30km
Washpool National Park(NSW) – Sat 4 Apr – 42.5km
Pinnacles – Sat 18 Apr – 18km/18hills
Glasshouse Mts Cooks Tour – Sun 17 May – 50k
Mini-Kokoda – Sun 14 Jun – 27k
Lake Manchester – Sun 21 Jun – 33k
Kokoda Challenge – 18/19 Jul – 96k
Flight Centre Epic Mountain Bike – 22/23 Aug – 100k
Glasshouse Mountains Trail Runs- 12-13 Sep – 100k

Congratulations to Shane Horton and Amanda Ritchie, the winners of the Great Livestrong Raffle. Thanks to everyone that purchased tickets and your kind support helped me to achieve my fund raising goals for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. You can be sure that your money has gone to a great cause and I feel privileged that I had the opportunity to do my small part in the fight against cancer.

After nearly 13 months in Canada, our time is drawing to an end. Both Tanya and I feel lucky and privileged to have had the opportunity to live here and it is an experience that we will treasure for many years to come. We are looking forward to seeing family and friends and of course not complaining about enduring another summer!

Like anything you do in life, there has been challenges along the way and times of self doubt (especially career wise), but those have well and truly been overshadowed by the people we have meet and places we have seen along the way. Along with our time in Vancouver, we have been lucky enough to travel in both Canada and the US, go to festivals and catch up with long lost friends, making for an amazing experience.

Of course for me, trail running was my highlight.  It all started with my entry into the Knee Knacker and what a journey it turned out to be. To be surrounded by such inspiring and motivated runners, along with the amazing scenery, fueled a passion for running that I have never had before. My desire now to hit the trails and set new goals for 2009 is well and truly alive and I have a new self belief in what I can achieve. I learnt so much from the people I ran with and have always been blown away by how humble everyone has been. I was always made to feel welcome and had some great conversations out on the trails.

So on that note, I would like to thank my new found Canadian friends (some newer Canadians than others), Ellie, John A, Mike, Terry Sukhi, Susan, John N, Bill and everyone else I meet along the way. It has been a blast and I look forward to keeping a close tab on everyones progress throughout 2009 and beyond.

I would also like to make mention of a good mate and training partner, Pricey, who I watched work so hard and achieve things that for alot of people would seem impossible. I look forward to watching your progress and have no doubt you are going to succeed in what ever you decide to pursue.

New York was everything I dreamed it would be and the last couple of days back in Canada, I have sat back and tried to soak up what just happened. Being in New York on marathon weekend was special in itself, but to also be there for the election was out of this world. We were in Rockefeller centre to see America elect its first African American President and I was awe struck by Obama`s speech, it will be a night that will live on in my memory for a long time to come.

Being able to share this time with Tanya and close friends made the experience that extra special and will definitely return one day. I am piecing together my thoughts and will post an account of the marathon in the next couple of days, watch this space.

Only one week until the big event and the excitement is starting to build. We have just enjoyed a relaxing week in Halifax, Nova Scotia visiting with friends and catching up on emails, van repairs etc. The week has also given us time to reflect and take stock of what has been a big road trip. We have covered many kilometres and have seen so much along the way, sometimes wishing we could stay longer in places but knowing we had to keep on going.

Before coming to Halifax, we spent 4 memorable days on Cape Breton Island and got to experience its culture and people, something that I will never forget. We were lucky enough to be in town for the Celtic Colours Music Festival and I have become an overnight fan of Celtic music.  

We now take off towards New York on Monday and plan to arrive Thursday evening in time to get all sorted for the big day. Visiting New York is a dream come true and throw in running the marathon, catching up with good friends, the American elections, halloween and the Melbourne Cup (we will find a bar that shows it somewhere), I am sure it is going to be a week to remember.

From when I signed up for the New York Marathon and committed to raising $3500US, I have consistently been blown away by the generosity and goodwill of my friends and family. It has been a great year for my running and the people I have met along the way have made the journey well worth taking.

I have about $800US to fund raise, so if anyone was considering helping out a great cause, now is the time to do it. I know a lot of currencies around the world have dropped against the US, but every penny counts. You can head to my personal page anytime day or night, 7 days a week!

It is officially only 2 weeks out from the NYC Marathon and the excitement is starting to build. It seems like a long time ago that I competed in the Stormy 50 mile and I am looking forward to getting back amongst it. I admit that at times it has been a little hard on the road to keep my motivation levels up in training and I have missed having fellow runners around me, especially on those long runs. My fitness is not it where it was leading up to the Knee Knacker Trail Race in July, but confident that I will still give it a good nudge and do myself proud. I have promised myself that no matter what happens on the day, I am going to enjoy the experience and soak up the atmosphere and excitement.

I look forward to catching up with good mates from Australia in New York and will have to work hard to keep up with them in the race.

The plan was to keep an updated log of our trip across Canada, but somehow that fell to pieces over 3000kms ago. I thought instead I would give you a quick summary with a few pictures thrown in for good measure. I can report that our VW Westfalia has been christened ‘Winnie the Westy’ (we were too cheap to smash a bottle of champagne on her and drank it instead) and is still going strong after nearly 4000km.

Since my last posting in Nelson BC, we finally made it out of British Columbia (hard place to leave) into Alberta and then crossed the vast plains of the interior through, Saskatchewan and Manitoba taking in plenty of sights along the way. We were gob smacked by the size and beauty of the Prairies and pleasantly surprised by some of the towns and cities along the way, all offering something different. We are now in Nth Ontario in Sault Ste. Marie (also know as the Soo), which borders with the US and is the gate way to Lake Superior for cargo and recreational boats.

Our last couple of days have been driving along Lake Superior, one of those drives that is a must do before you depart this planet. Along with the views out onto Lake Superior and beautiful coastline, the vast array of autumn colours made it one of the highlights of the trip so far.

It is now onto the nations capital and then into Quebec to take in the sights and sounds of Montreal and Quebec City, no rest for the wicked. We are then planning to head up to the Gaspe Peninsula, PEI and across to Cape Breton before visiting a mate in Halifax.

I am trying to be good with my training and still getting in at least 4 runs a week. It is not ideal training conditions (thats my excuse anyway), but I am confident I will be in good enough shape to finish New York and enjoy the experience along the way.

Lance Armstrong is taking his cancer campaign global and Australia will be his launching pad in the Tour Down Under in January 2009. He is planning to race his bike all over the world and highlight the need to address the disease that claims over 8 million lives a year.

The Lance Armstong Foundation (LAF) has worked hard in the United States to inspire and empower people with cancer and has achieved some amazing milestones along the way. Now the focus has moved to a much larger stage and LAF will be joining with local partners, organisations and world leaders to achieve three major goals:

1. Together we will end the stigma of cancer and turn cancer victims into cancer survivors.

2. Together we will build an international grassroots movement that will take cancer from isolation to collaboration.

3. Together with world leaders, we will transform cancer from obscurity to priority.

I will be proudly running in the 2008 New York Marathon as part of the LIVESTRONG ARMY and need your support to achieve my fundraising goals. I am calling on those of you that have thought about helping out to now make the commitment and dig deep to support this great cause.

Donations large and small can be made directly via my Personal Fundraising Page, or you can purchase tickets in the Great LIVESTRONG Raffle, with fantastic prizes on offer. A big thanks to all those who have already contributed.

It has only been five days since leaving Vancouver but already it seems a lifetime ago. We have slowly (very slowly on the hills!) been making our way through the beautiful southern region of British Columbia and have slipped into holiday mode and relaxing more as each day passes. It was a pretty hectic last few weeks in Vancouver, but it has all been worth while for what is sure to be a trip of a lifetime.

Our first couple of nights were in the beautiful Manning Park (Provincial Park), a favourite spot for city dwellers, only 3 hours out of Vancouver. We pretty much had the campsite to ourselves and made the most of the peaceful setting to get things sorted in the van and soak up the surroundings.

Still trying to keep on track for New York and the marathon,  I made the most of having an abundance of trails to choose from and got in a good 3 hour run. I have decided that I am now a trail runner at heart and this is where I am at my happiest.

We then headed on into the Okanagan and what was only going to be a short stop for a swim turned into 2 nights camped up on the lakeshore. As you can see from the photo, we just had to park up and enjoy the warm weather while it lasted. 

We are now in Nelson BC, which is located on the west arm of Kootenay Lake in the southern interior of British Columbia in the West Kootenay region. The city is renowned for its diversity, heritage buildings, art and amazing setting. It has been a place we have heard alot about and looking forward to checking out.

Already life on the road is suiting us well.