06.11.2009

Fearnley to commence Kokoda crawl

On the back of a perfect year on the international marathon circuit, Australian wheelchair athlete and three-time Paralympian Kurt Fearnley will this weekend take on what is arguably the greatest challenge of his adrenaline-charged career when he commences his crawl of Papua New Guinea’s Kokoda Track.

Just days after taking out the New York Marathon and claiming his sixth marathon title from as many starts in 2009, Fearnley will return to action this Sunday when he embarks on a gruelling 12-day, 96km journey through some of Papua New Guinea’s most rugged terrain.

The 28-year-old adventurer, who will be joined on the trip by 15 of his closest friends and family members, said it was an honour to be taking on the famous trek.

"Everyone says to me, ‘have you gone mad? What are you thinking?'" Fearnley said.

"My job is to race for and represent Australia and the Kokoda Track has a huge significance in Australian history.

"For me I think it's going to be a bit about figuring out who we are. It’s also a chance for me and my family and friends to experience something positive and challenging."

As the winner of three Paralympic and four IPC world championships gold medals, Fearnley knows what it means to push the body to its limits but admits even he will be challenged by what lies ahead.

"I think Kokoda will be the toughest single experience I've ever had in my life and I know that but I'm also excited about it. I'm a little bit worried, which is human I think, when you're doing something like this," he said.

"I'm pretty sure when able-bodied people take this on they feel worried but I don't think I'm more worried than anyone else. I see myself as able-bodied and beyond that I have 15 of the closest people around me who are there to help if anything's needed and to make sure we all get through it together.

"I'll require help, of course, there's no way I'd even contemplate doing this if I didn't have the right people around me but I feel really confident asking for a hand from any of these blokes."

Fearnley’s physical preparation has included crawling up to 100 flights of stairs and navigating his way through the bush near his home in Newcastle, New South Wales, on top of his regular training of up to 50km a day in his race wheelchair.

While he doesn’t expect the road ahead to be an easy one, Fearnley knows the hardships he’s set to endure will pale in comparison to those suffered by Australian troops in World War II.

"There are going to be no bullets flying at us, no one chasing us, no one trying to stop us. No matter how tough we seem to be having it, people have had it far worse,” he said.

“Along that track there isn't a thing you could do that could even compare to what people went through in the past. That's why it's very do-able."

Fearnley and his crew will take on the Kokoda Track in support of men’s health movement Movember, an awareness organisation for male depression and prostate cancer.

"Blokes in our country find it hard to talk to other blokes about what's affecting them. We fellas need to need to learn that we can talk to other fellas and when we ask for help it is often received with nothing but goodwill,” Fearnley said.

“If you can turn to your friend or your brother or your cousin and ask for help, so much more can be accomplished. Even a guy in a wheelchair can feel confident enough to crawl the Kokoda Track.”

Click here to keep up with all the action from the Kokoda Track via Kurt Fearnley’s blog

Photo courtesy of Aaron Hobbs