Thursday 22 September 2011

The big announcement...

Well….I have an admission…I have been at it again!  My usual scheming mind has been pondering since the day dad and I completed our run from Bundaberg to Brisbane and back for Prostate Cancer.  I have been trying to decide, WHAT NEXT???  I have obviously been involved in many organised runs since this event however I am always keen to set new goals and try to make a difference in others lives through my own events.

So, I had come up with an idea and was needing to find a worthy charity to work with and raise funds for.  Through our Brissy run, we had a close relationship with Mel and Craig from Bundaberg McDonalds.  They, have a close relationship with a charity called Forget Me Not Foundation.  The foundation has sponsor children in Nepal and Uganda.  They further work to build Eco Villages in their contact countries to house, educate, feed etc the sponsor children.

Through Mel and Craig, I made contact with the foundations founder, Lars.  I did a bit of research on the bloke and the foundation, met Lars and was VERY impressed.  The heart of the foundation and in particular Lars for orphaned children was just amazing!  He is a young man with incredible vision and motivation to make a difference in this world!  I am a firm believer that an organisation is moulded from the top down, so I felt assured that Forget Me Not would be a fantastic, worthy charity to work with for my new adventure.  For more information about their fantastic work and involvement in Nepal and Uganda visit http://www.forgetmenotchildrenshome.org.au/

So…in saying all this, I am here to announce that commencing in May 2013, I will be running from the Western most point of Australia (Steep Point, Shark Bay WA) to the Eastern most point of Australia (Cape Byron, Byron Bay NSW)!!!  5000km in 90days!  This equates to an average of approx 55km per day!  I, along with my support crew and the staff at Forget Me Not will be aiming to raise approx $250,000, enough to build and support an Eco Village, housing 40-60kids for one year!

Needless to say, I am VERY excited about this new adventure and the challenges/rewards it will bring!  I am in for a heck of a lot of work/organising before departure date but will love every minute of it!  I will obviously keep you all up to date through my blog as to progress and training and cant wait to share the experience with you all! 

If any of you are interested in helping in anyway, or have any contacts for major/minor sponsorship possibilities please let me know.

So that is it, the cat is now out of the bag and I have committed myself!  I am humbled by this new adventure, however will take a hold of it with both hands and fully commit myself to every aspect of it!  I just want to thank you all for the support you have all been through my adventures thus far and I hope and pray you will stand by me in this and any other crazy things I conjure up!  

Keep smiling friends and until next time…RUN ON!

2 comments:

  1. Hey Mat,
    I have been reading your blog with interest since you started. I ran Nerang 50 last year (I seen you at about 25km, and also ran the NF100 this year, although I didn't see you there.

    Well done on the 100 miler in the Glasshouse, an achievement I am yet to accomplish, great effort for both yourself and your dad!

    I just read this blog and what an amazing idea and for such a wonderful cause! I just wanted to wish you all the luck in preparation for 2013, and hopefully our paths may cross on some trail in the near future! Reading your blog is motivating for me and it's great to follow your journey!

    Cheers,
    Kristan

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  2. KB, thank you so very much for your kind words~ I really enjoy the blogging and it is so lovely to hear nice comments and that people are enjoying it! Please feel free to pass the link onto all your friends that may be interested! If I can encourage anyone in their running/life journey, it is all worth the effort! Hope to catch up with you at a run soon! Make sure you come and say gday!!! Enjoy todays post! TattooRunner

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