Blister Sisters Walk On The Wild Side

By Duncan Horscroft on March 12, 2013 in News

A team of Bronte women are set to pace themselves over a marathon walk in an effort to help raise $1.7 million for the Fred Hollows Foundation.

The Bronte Blisters, a four-woman team comprising Ally Woodford, Kate Muir, Natalie Collins and Orla Burke, will be part of a team challenge to walk 100km along the coastline from Palm Beach to Coogee on March 1 and 2.

Known as the Wild Women On Top Coastrek, the event features a 50km and a 100km trek and is open to both men and women, but each team must be at least fifty percent female.

“For the last two years my Saturday running group has come across people training for or finishing the actual event along the Coastal Walk and it inspired me to put a team together,” team captain Ally Woodford said.

“And even though Hollows was a Kiwi, his family continue to live in the Eastern Suburbs so it’s keeping a local’s amazing work alive. “

Woodford said that getting the team together was a challenge given that Orla and Natalie have young babies and Kate is a Qantas flight attendant.

“We’ve had a few 30-40 kilometre walks now and a couple of night walks around the Eastern Suburbs, but we’re conscious of the fact that it’s all about time on our feet,” Woodford said.

“So even if we can only manage a two-hour walk on a Saturday morning we try and spend the rest of the day on the move.”
She said as well as clocking up the kilometres it was also important to work out what to wear as far as shoes and socks went.

“We’ve already had some nasty blisters just from training in shoes that are too small or socks that are too old and we’re learning as we go. Leg fatigue, be it knee pain or cramps, is another thing we’ll need to manage well.”

She said the team is confident of finishing the course and that they will be doing “whatever it takes to finish as a team”.

To donate to the Bronte Blisters go to www.coastrek.com.au/fundraising, click the ‘Donate Now’ button and enter ‘Bronte Blisters’ in the ‘Team Search’ tab.