It was far from an easy Sunday stroll, but some of those crossing the finish line of the inaugural Greenacres Mountain to Mountain Challenge on Sunday made it look like a walk in the park.
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Just 51.23 minutes after setting off from the base of Mount Keira, experienced triathlete David Mainwaring was first over the finish line at Mount Kembla.
The Wollongong athlete promptly cooled down from the 13.6-kilometre run by going for another run.
Although he regularly tackles the terrain by bike, Mainwaring said running the route made for an interesting challenge.
Participants tackled a series of steep, winding ascents and dips and were rewarded for their efforts with breathtaking escarpment views.
Claire Rayner was the first woman across the line, just over an hour after setting off on the gruelling course.
As the health and fitness manager at the University Recreation and Aquatic Centre, the Wollongong mum knows a thing or two about reaching goals and on Sunday her trusty mantra was just the trick.
‘‘I would say to myself, ‘keep on going, keep on going,’ it’s something I say to my son,’’ she said.
Christopher Sink was also among the first to finish, achieving an impressive time of just 1.04 hours.
Despite being just 11-years-old, Christopher is already a seasoned runner and says his best piece of advice was simply ‘‘don’t give up.’’
The challenge raised funds for disability support service Greenacres and spokesman John Harvey said he was thrilled with Sunday’s turnout.
‘‘I’m absolutely stunned, it’s unbelievable, there are 1100 people running and walking and we were hoping for 300,’’ he said.
‘‘We were hoping to raise enough for a bus and we think after we tally up all the money that we might get there.’’
