Kokoda Challenge, Gold Coast (2019-2020) - a mind game

This time last year we were hustling with the final preparations in readiness for the Kokoda Gold Coast challenge, a grueling endurance event where you hike and climb through some of the toughest terrains in the country in freezing conditions (and sometimes wet), day & night for 96 km! 

For those who are not aware of the Kokoda Youth Foundation and the yearly event, the aim is to spread awareness of the heroic defense of Australia against imminent invasion in 1942, during WWII and the spirit of our young soldiers, instilling the Kokoda values of Courage, Endurance, Mateship and Sacrifice into the community of today.

These timeless Kokoda values still have a profound impact on individuals and are the basis of a healthy community. The Spirit of Kokoda demonstrates that when we work together, look out for each other, and show commitment to a task, things that at first seem impossible, suddenly become achievable.

In June 2019 we aimed for the half Kokoda which is 48 km but no less daunting and physically demanding. Having trained hard for months in the hinterland and doing strength training at the gym we were confident but still nervous. With the Last Post playing at 1.30 pm on the Saturday we kicked off and managed to cross the finish line at 2 am on the Sunday, 12 and a half hours later. Exhausted, jubilant, and proud of ourselves. In the process we raised hundreds of dollars for the foundation with generous donations from many among you.

After a few weeks of emptiness that usually is felt after a big event, we started training again for the 2020 Kokoda and this time for the big 96 km! This training usually followed a pattern of 3 day/night hikes a week through tough hills and tracks and four Strength and high intensity training sessions a week, a big commitment to manage along with regular day jobs and family duties.

With training going strong and all of us looking forward to the event that was scheduled in June we were abruptly punched in the face by Covid-19. Things came to a grinding halt; the event was cancelled, and we were shattered. We continued to train in any way that was possible, respecting the restrictions imposed. 

To keep the spirits high, Kokoda Foundation in May 2020 announced the Virtual Kokoda Challenge, where individuals were to complete 96 km during the month of May on their own. Doing 96 km over 31 days against 96 km in 24 hrs (which is what we were training for) seems easy but easier said than done! I decided to make this further challenging for myself by committing to hiking 96 km with a large SUV tyre (approx. 20 kg) strapped behind me with a harness, adding a very different level of resistance, imbalance and pain :) With great encouragement from my mates who joined me many a times, I hiked through the hills and tracks dragging this tyre along. 

I copied the idea of dragging a tyre from my super-inspiring and dear friend Mike Lang from https://zerovanilla.com.au/ who has ignited the passion of adventure in many of us over the past few years! You have to see some of his adventure videos to see how amazing he is!

The uphills were killing, the downhills were a test of balance. We even built a bit of a fan base on our regular routes where people stopped and asked and wondered each time "why the hell"?? They all provided words of encouragement, many funny but all genuine and heartfelt. I managed to finish the last final kilometres on the tough Pollys track, finishing at Doug’s log which is named after Doug Henderson, the founder of the Kokoda Youth Foundation. This was the toughest part of the 96, but worth every step. I could do this challenge and had more left in me only because of the training over the last few years with my dear mate Mitchell Lowe of https://www.facebook.com/thebodyauthority/ where I have lost 11 kg of weight and have managed to roll back 7 years in biological age. Mitch is a mentor and an absolute legend!

Also a massive shout-out to Jeetu Nair, my dear friend who accompanied me on every hike during this challenge and cheered me along, though in his mind he must have hated me for getting him hooked into this!

Having completed the 96 km now, each step completed dragging the tyre, I reflect on what drives me into taking up challenges like these. What is the answer to the question I was asked so many times by strangers and friends along the way, ‘Why the hell’?

For me there are many reasons why, but to put it simply, it gives me immense joy to defeat the mind in a contest between my mind and the body. The mind is like the tyre trying to hold you back, feeling broken every time you hit that uphill in life, wanting you to stop, give-up and choose something easier. When you defeat the tyre and move forward with your chin up and chest high, irrespective of the terrain, the weather, dragging the hell out of it and reaching your summit, I believe in many ways it trains you to live your life in the same way. As they say "You find out the strength of the wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down!"

Through my own fitness journey over the years and running boot-camps and fitness sessions, I have had very many interesting conversations with trainers, mentors and people at various stages of their fitness levels. One thing that is consistently confirmed through these conversations is that everyone has to find his/her own 'Why'. When you really understand your “Why” and it is truly important to you only then your underlying motivators kick in and get you out of bed and out of the door to achieve your goals.

As someone said, "It's not the mountain we conquer but ourselves".