Ultra Marathon runners through Simpson Desert update | Christine Maria Lindner Clinical Hypnotherapist, Naturopath & Holistic Life Coach

“The Impossibles” have survived Day 2 of the Ultimate Physical Challenge for Charity!

Follow their amazing journey on the GPS Satellite Live Feed via the following link: http://www.multimarathon.com/page/test.html#

Marathon No. 5 proved to be a journey through Hell for ‘The Impossibles’

These amazing athletes are running a total distance of 640km, passing through 3 states (NT, SA, QLD) and over 1315 sand dunes to cross the entire breadth of the Simpson Desert.

The average length of each sand dune is 200km and with temperatures ranging from -8 to 45 degrees Celsius,

Barry Golding and the rest of the team are proving that nothing is impossible.

Freezing weather conditions, poisonous wildlife, blustering wind and fatigue have become a daily contention for the MultiMarathon Team. To add to the list of challenges, Day 5 led to the onset of injuries.

Half way through the day’s journey, Barry noticed he was running in blood-filled shoes, whilst another team member, Mark is about to lose 4 toe nails.

The Impossibles set out on this journey with the expectation that this would be the ultimate physical challenge, but we can’t even imagine the mental challenge Barry and the rest of this amazing team must be overcoming to endure this extraordinary journey.

To send a message of support and encouragement to Barry and the team, please email zabre51@bigpond.com

For updates go to www.multimarathon.com

Broken bones won’t break their spirits…

Day 6 started out well for The Impossibles, with the team in a good frame of mind. They’ve previously encountered, snakes, dingoes, camels and other wildlife but who would have imagined the need to dodge 44 gallon drums in the middle of the Simpson Desert? Not us, and neither did Barry Golding, who, unfortunately managed to trip on a buried drum and broke his toe.

Team member, Jaynie Crayton, who has twice conquered breast cancer, is now running with suspected stress fractures on her shins. Regardless of this, Jaynie, Barry and the rest of the team continue to run in the face of adversity, after all – they ARE The Impossibles!

To send a message of support and encouragement to Barry and the team, please email zabre51@bigpond.com

For updates go to www.multimarathon.com

Who are ‘The Impossibles’…

Barry Golding (56) has been a running coach for 36 years and is the founder and coach of the Manly Running Academy.

Barry has completed an impressive 59 marathons and hundreds of other races from 800m’s to Ultramarathons.

His favourite race is the 21km Soft Sand Classic on Manly Beach, which he has won consecutively in his division for the last 5 years.

Why is he running in the Desert MultiMarathon? – for his friend Jaynie.

Currently he is running on a broken toe and is completing a 44km marathon in just under 8 hours – uninjured he would do this in under 4 ^1/2

Jaynie Crayton (51) is a personal trainer and started running 4 years ago. She has twice battled, and conquered, breast cancer.

Her proudest running moment was competing in the Sydney Half Marathon, which she completed in 1 hour, 55 minutes.

Why is she running in the Desert MultiMarathon? – because she loves her life and the people in it.

Currently Jaynie is running on possible stress fractures in her shins but is determined not to allow this to hold her back.

Mark Simon (40) developed speed at age 17 by trying to dodge much larger rugby players on the field.

In 2006 he had the amazing opportunity to run with a 6’5 Massai warrior through the Massari Mara in Kenya. A very proud accomplishment was finishing 146^th from 801 starters in the Marathon des Sables in the Sahara, Morocco.

Why is he running in the Desert MultiMarathon? – because most people in Australia know of someone who has had breast cancer. He is proud to be associated with this team and support crew, who are running for Jaynie, raising money and more importantly ‘awareness’.

Currently Mark is having to contend with his knees swelling up and it is taking him a few hours to get into a rhythm.

Glenn Dobson (51) started running as a league and union player at school.

Since 2000 Glenn has finished 19 Ironman Triathlons, 13 Half Ironman, Several Long Course Triathlons, Ultra Marathons and represented Australia in 2 World Championships.

Why is he running in the Desert MultiMarathon?

1. To see how far he can push himself physically and mentally

2. To commemorate his Mum who died of breast cancer last year

3. As the husband and father of 3 women, each dollar he can raise will go toward protecting them, and all of his and their friends, from this awful disease.

Currently Glenn is exhausted but is running on a left swollen foot.

Day 8 and ‘The Impossibles’ came marching in…

Project manager, Chris Pet, awaited The Impossibles to cross today’s finish line to get some insight into the day they had faced…

Mark had set out with a strong mindset and determination to arrive first – which he did.

Jaynie, who at the beginning of this amazing challenge, had planned to run 10 to 15km per day has just completed 22km today.

Barry is back to his old self – full of laughter and high spirits. He seems to have gotten that second wind and his broken toe is now far from his mind – must be the daily Chi3.

Glenn is traversing down the last sand dune as Chris is speaking to Barry but is too exhausted to talk at the time, but who could blame him? Have you ever tried running a marathon… through a desert… 8 times in a row without a day’s break?

The Impossibles prove that “mind over matter” is more than a flimsy cliché – it is a reality that these heroes embody day after day.

Day 12… Only 3 days to go!

To say that the last few days have been difficult for The Impossibles would be a vast understatement. The pain has truly set in for the team but they keep going. According to team member, Glenn, this has a lot to do with Barry, who appears to have the heart of Pharlap, pushing and encouraging them every step of the way – what else can they do but keep soldiering on.

Barry Golding, now affectionately known to his teammates as Pharlap Baz, managed to find a tree root to trip over – crashing into the salt pan, hitting his head and grazing his hands and knees. After sitting for a while to wait for the world to stop spinning he managed to get up and walk on. He soon remembered that he was in a marathon to raise funds and awareness for Breast Cancer Research and with his ever-fighting spirit he picked up the pace again. The rest of the team follow in awe of this true Aussie hero.

With The Impossibles nearing the end of this amazing journey, they could use some words of encouragement to get them over the finish line. To send a message of support to Barry and the team, please email zabre51@bigpond.com

For updates go to www.multimarathon.com

Day 13… and Mother Nature is not being kind to The Impossibles

2 days to go, but it probably feels like 2 years for our amazing runners. The injuries, pain and pure physical exhaustion have taken a tremendous toll on The Impossibles. Jaynie is down to running 10km a day, which she had originally planned to do. Mark’s knees and swollen ankles have made life very difficult and he has opted to just accompany Jaynie during the last 10km of the daily run. Glenn has run head first into a brick wall, figuratively speaking, and everyone is unsure if he will be able to run tomorrow.

Barry is still going strong, like the true champion that he is.

The elements are creating havoc for the team, who are having to run through strong gusty winds, freezing temperatures, ice cold rain and consequently through slippery mud.

It has been tough and only continues to get tougher. Words cannot express the overwhelming pride and admiration we feel for Barry and the rest of the multi-marathon team.

For updates go to www.multimarathon.com

Day 14… Spirits are running high and so is the water

The Impossibles have endured it all – scorching temperatures, ice-covered tents, harsh scrub and rocks, malicious tree roots and elusive drums, strong gales, frigid rain and sand dunes for as far as the eye can see. So does it really surprise us to hear that Day 14 was not only the day they had to take on Big Red, but also had to negotiate several water crossings?

The first crossing pulled Jaynie under but thankfully Glenn was close by to pull her up. This amazing team has nearly traversed the entire breadth of the Simpson Desert – they certainly weren’t going to let a torrent of water stop them with only one day left to go! The remaining crossings were deeper but the biggest danger was the sludgy, muddy bottom. Of course the Impossibles made it across safely only to freeze on the other side.

If you have never heard of Big Red, then please allow us to explain that this MONSTER of a sand dune towers at approximately 40 metres – that’s taller than a 12 story building made up of soft sand! After running 14 marathons in 14 days would Barry have enough juice left in the battery to take on Big Red and win? They don’t call him Pharlap Baz just for kicks folks. Barry took in a deep breath and ran up and over that mountain of sand and down the other side only to wonder what all the fuss was about.

Find out tomorrow what happened on the final day – will Barry Golding go down in history as the first man to run 15 marathons in 15 days?

For updates go to www.multimarathon.com

Barry Golding wins the First Ever Simpson Desert Multimarathon!!!

Congratulations to ‘Pharlap Baz’ for becoming the first person to complete 15 marathons in 15 days, across the entire breadth of the Simpson Desert. They were warned by medical professionals that what they had planned to do was simply IMPOSSIBLE… 15 days; 640 kilometres and over 1300 sand dunes later, the amazing multimarathon team proved without a trace of doubt, that nothing in this world is impossible if you put your mind, heart and soul into it.

Barry may have been the last man standing, so to speak, by being the only team member to complete the full marathon. But let us not forget the sheer courage of all 4 of these amazing people, who took on this colossal challenge and fought tooth and nail all the way, to raise funds and awareness for Breast Cancer Research.

Congratulations also goes to the amazing support team who were with the Impossibles every step of the way, in particular, to a dear member of the FreeLife family – Meryl England, who was a constant source of help to the team and worked relentlessly to collect donations.

The Impossibles are holding a Gala Event in Sydney, in a month’s time, to celebrate their amazing achievement. This would be your perfect opportunity to meet the team and show your support. A film documenting their fantastic journey will be screened, as well as the opportunity to participate in a fundraising auction.

To request to attend this event please email Project Manager, Chris at zabre51@bigpond.com

To Barry and the team – you have made history, you are all heroes and a genuine source of inspiration to us all.

To read more about The Impossibles amazing journey go to www.multimarathon.com

Important UPDATE:

We’re sure you’re all proud as punch to know that Barry Golding has made history by being the first person to run 15 marathons in 15 days across Australia’s Simpson Desert.