Oxfam Trailwalker Australia

State Street Overcoming the Odds Award

Anyone who has participated in Oxfam Trailwalker knows the true meaning of the words “challenge” and “commitment”

State Street, the Global Sponsor of Oxfam Trailwalker, has presented its Overcoming the Odds award since 2004 in honour of an individual who has overcome personal adversity to participate in this demanding, yet inspiring, event.

The winner receives a $500 cash prize and will have a $4,500 donation from the State Street Foundation made to the Oxfam program of their choice. The winner will also be recognised at the Oxfam Trailwalker Melbourne Awards Night.

Charlie’s story

One of the first winners of the Overcoming the Odds Award is Charlie McConnell, who is blind. Charlie, pictured above during the 2006 Sydney event (third from left) has taken part in six Trailwalkers with his team The Achilles Running Club. Charlie hopes his efforts will inspire other people, both disabled and able-bodied. “By doing Trailwalker and showing people what I’ve done, hopefully it encourages other people to get fit and have a go,” he says. “It would be great to challenge and inspire people onto bigger and better things.”

Nominate a walker

Nominations must include a short description of how the nominee “overcame the odds” to achieve his or her Oxfam Trailwalker goal. Submissions may be accompanied by supporting material such as a photo or video. Nominations must include the contestant’s name and team number.

The closing date for the State Street Overcoming the Odds award is May 31 2012. To enter please email Oxfam Trailwalker Melbourne or call 1800 088 110

2011 Overcoming the Odds Award winners

Oxfam Trailwalker Melbourne

Ben Phillips completed the full 100 kilometres of the Melbourne trail in 37 hours as part of Senator John Faulkner’s team ‘The Tigers’. What makes Ben’s achievement remarkable is that he is blind.

Born legally blind with only very limited vision as a child, over time his sight has deteriorated to only extremely limited light perception. Anyone who has ever walked a bush trail can appreciate how much Ben’s involvement in the event required extra concentration – not to mention courage.

Ben’s three other team members think their mate Ben is a hero. And it was that same kind of support shown by his team mates that saw them to the finish line. Throughout the entire 37 hours, Ben’s team provided him with all the necessary directions to assist him with where to place his feet and to warn of the many obstacles that the bush trail presented.

In Ben’s own words after crossing the finish line: “I’ve been overwhelmed with emotion this afternoon, just crying my guts out with joy. I can’t tell you how liberating it is after having experienced years of bullying and discrimination for being blind … then to go and conquer something most people will never do, and to wear a bright vest that says “I’m blind” for 100km for all to see. It became something positive, I feel valued and special and I no longer need to hide [being blind].”

Oxfam Trailwalker Brisbane

Anna Coronis, the first Overcoming the Odds winner for Oxfam Trailwalker Brisbane, was born with a dislocated hip which was only identified when she was 6 months old. After numerous operations a metal plate was inserted in her hip leaving Anna with a pronounced limp. All of her shoes need to be built and specially adapted, which made buying shoes for Oxfam Trailwalker a particularly difficult task!

The cold winds experienced on the trail on the event weekend caused major muscle pain and the metal in her hip to cool down, also causing her organs to cool. Coupled with some extensive blisters, Anna journeyed on and crossed the finish line with her team of four at 1am on the Sunday morning. Anna (pictured above on the right, along with her team, ‘Victorious Secret’) says she couldn’t have done it without the amazing support of her team, support crew and everyone who helped along the trail.

Oxfam Trailwalker Sydney

In 2004, at age 43, Linda Christison was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s Disease. As an elite runner, placing in the top ten in eight of her last nine marathons and as a serious competitor in trail running events, this was heart breaking news. After a six year self-imposed hiatus, Linda rejoined the running community in 2010 and set herself the challenge to complete a 24 hour or 100km event!

Linda and her team finished Oxfam Trailwalker in 31.5 hours, achieving their goal of completing the event as a team of four! Linda started the event strongly, however struggled on the rough terrain during the night, often needing to actually think “left foot, right foot” to maintain movement. The concentration required was exhausting, and a very tired Linda fell into a creek on the Friday night. Showing incredible courage and determination, Linda did not let this incident, or what was later diagnosed as anaemia, stop her from finishing strongly and in good humour. Linda was an inspiration to all who crossed paths with her along the trail!