TWO friends from Westbury have successfully completed The MoonWalk Iceland 2016 event, and raised over £3,500 for breast cancer charity, Walk the Walk.
Catherine Watkinson and Lesley Galpin took part in the unique challenge earlier this month and were part of the quickest team to complete the challenge in its six-year history.
Catherine told the White Horse News, “The walk was always going to be a challenge just due to the time of day completing it (starting at midnight) and the area we were walking. It was mentally challenging, and although there were a few aches and pains on the way round, mentally trying to keep motivated was difficult. Mile 24 was a bit of a wall for us both and we literally had to just put one foot in front of the other to keep going.
“For 26.2 miles we walked in very sparse landscapes with little to distract us from walking. Unlike other moonwalks in Edinburgh and London, there were no crowds to cheer you on, no landmarks to look at and very little company around you. Only 63 of us took part and for the majority of the walk we were on our own with a support bus driving past every few miles. Even the local sheep didn’t seem interested!
“Seeing the finish line come into sight was amazing. There was a small welcoming crowd to give us our medals, but there were many tears as we crossed together – a moment neither of us will forget.
“It was amazing that in the six years that they have been running the Iceland MoonWalk, we were the quickest team to finish – 63 walkers started and finished within 8 and a half hours. We were over the moon to come in at 6 hours 33 minutes!
“The support from the people that had already finished was amazing, lots of hugs and a welcome breakfast was waiting for us, along with a soak in the natural spa and massage for our tired limbs. We never expected to raise so much money but following events such as car boot sales, little pickle children sales, quizzes and a silent auction, we have significantly smashed our original target of £3,000 and the donations are still coming in. The support from family and friends has been staggering.
“As a team we have now raised in excess of £7,000 and during the medal dinner we found out that we were the top fundraising team for Iceland, which was so great to hear. We would love to keep the money flooding in as we have about a month post the event to keep our sponsorship page running. Walk the Walk is just amazing and every penny is genuinely used to help people with breast cancer.
“At mile 24, Lesley and I looked at each other and said never again! But the day after we returned home, we had registered our interest to complete the Edinburgh Moonwalk in June 2017!
“I would definitely encourage people to take part. We met some amazing people during our trip and have kept in contact through a Facebook group page. It is so rewarding and exhilarating and life-changing to complete this kind of challenge. You just have to find a walking buddy just as mad yourself!
To sponsor Catherine and Lesley, visit http://wtwalk.org/moonwalkiceland2016/catherine
