The Smith Family Challenge
The Smith Family Challenge is an exhilarating 100km off-road adventure held over two days. Teams of four navigate by foot, bike, and on the water to the finish line. Challengers pay the full cost of the event so 100% of donations go directly to The Smith Family programs.
The 1 in 6 Australian children growing up disadvantaged can limit their choices, opportunities, and outcomes in life. Investing in their education delivers long-term positive benefits for them, their family, and potentially generations to come.
All funds raised by the Challengers will help to provide these children with practical essentials like school books, shoes, bags, uniforms, and the support they need to keep up at school and realise their full potential.
After a two-month postponement, The Smith Family Challenge for 2022 was completed at Kangaroo Valley last week. We experienced all seasons within the 2 days… Wet, cold, hot, and humid.
Due to COVID and the unanticipated delay, our team of 6 was dramatically reduced to just 2! We joined up with 2 other competitors. Because we had to compete as a group of 4 due to OH&S. Luckily for us, they were both training for an Ultra Marathon (100km!) in 3 weeks so they were very, very fit!
Day 1 of The Smith Family Challenge
We started fresh, clean and keen at 8am. The first test was to climb through mud for about 6km, and reality set in fast as we realised we wished we had done more training!
There were many challenges, including the track being wet and muddy, fallen trees, and leeches everywhere, but we managed to cover 61.13km on bike, kayak, and running (… or rather a slow shuffle).
We finally reached the end of Day 1 at 4.50pm……10 minutes before the cutoff time of 5pm where penalty points come into play.
This was a great day with a great finish. We only missed one checkpoint in the orienteering so we finished the day being tied for second place. We were all pleased with this as it put us in a strong position for the next day, despite the fatigue.
Loads of trees down, so plenty of carrying bikes around…plus plenty of water to navigate through.
Trudging up creeks filled with leeches, looking for checkpoints.
Day 2 of The Smith Family Challenge
Not quite as fresh as the previous day with the pouring rain and some very sore bodies, we started off in the kayaks. The first bend we hit was the rapids, which were exciting and no dramas for us – others were not so lucky, capsizing and getting soaked.
This was then followed by plenty of mountain biking and trekking up more leech-infested creeks. It feels like we climbed every mountain in Kangaroo Valley twice! Throughout the day we covered another 62km.
Day 2 was a (slightly) shorter day, finishing at 4pm, which left us with 2 minutes to spare… Only 9 hours in the field.
There was lots of relief and realisation that another Challenge had been completed with only minor injuries. With careful navigation and the team travelling at a fair pace, we managed to miss only 1 marker, like Day 1! This meant overall we finished on the podium in 3rd place, a huge effort that we are all incredibly proud of.
In appreciation of your support in the Smith Family Challenge 2022
There is nothing better than a cold beer after a gruelling day in the field.
As team Lewer, we managed to raise $149,056, and individually, I raised $16,006. This is an incredible effort and on behalf of the team at Classic Oak Products and the Smith Family Challenge, I would like to extend a warm thank you for your support in our participation in the challenge.
Overall, the Challenge has raised an incredible $1,249,460 from 60 competitors.
The Smith Family helps children in need break the cycle of disadvantage and poverty through education. To read more about the challenge and its impact, click here: https://www.thesmithfamilychallenge.com.au/
Again, thank you so much for your support – it really does make a difference to so many children.
Cheers,
Hamish
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