Fitness, festivities and fundraising

OVER a thousand community members will set out on a 40km trek along the Surf Coast this weekend to fundraise, keep fit, and celebrate their efforts with festivities at the finish line.

The 2022 Surf Coast trek is co-run by Kids Plus and The Give Where You Live Foundation, with money raised from the event distributed between the two Geelong-based organisations.

Kids Plus Foundation works with paediatric allied health therapies and support services to support children with cerebral palsy and similar neurological conditions, while The Give Where You Live Foundation works with the community’s most vulnerable to improve equity and address local disadvantage.

This year’s two trek distances are a 40km trek from Aireys Inlet to Torquay and a shorter 26km trek from Anglesea to Torquay.

Events manager Sharon Gibbons from Kids Plus said the trek is typically the biggest fundraising event of the year and this year’s trek is shaping up to be the biggest year yet with more than 1,100 participants registered.

“Last year we raised a little over $250,000, and every dollar helps,” Ms Gibbons said.

“It’s also a huge community event and has a community feel, it always does, but I think this year more than ever everyone is really chasing that human connection.”

Ms Gibbons said the festival at the finish line also adds to the community feel.

 

“It’s a real family vibe, there are bouncing castles, and kids’ activities and the Torquay Lions put on a BBQ,” Ms Gibbons said.”Heaps of people come along who are not taking part, to cheer everybody on. And everyone gets a medal at the end, and everyone comes along for the community feel, to be a part of it.

CEO of Kids Plus, Shaun Cannon, said the fundraising from the event will help Kids Plus support kids in the community who don’t have funding plans.

“Whether that be taking kids to the snow or to spend a day at the beach – create some other recreation opportunities that they may not be able to do otherwise,” Mr Cannon said.

He said the trek is also a beautiful walk in its own right, with people of all ages coming along to give back to the community.

“Most of the time you’re walking really close to the coastline or on the coastline itself, it’s quite spectacular, and it’s right in our backyard,” Mr Cannon said.

“It’s all about participation, it’s not a race. And as a consequence we get a really broad range of people taking part, from teenagers to people well into their 70s.

“It’s unique in that sense in that it opens itself up to being eligible for really anyone who wants to take part.”

“The highlight is always seeing the participants cross the finish line and we get this great sense of community spirit.”

 

The trek will be setting off from Aireys Inlet at 7.15am and from Anglesea at 8.45am, with festivities surrounding the finish line along the Elephant Walk in Torquay.

While 2022 registrations have closed, anyone can come along or support the cause, donating online or supporting someone who is registered.

To find out more or donate head to the website surfcoasttrek.com.au.