Post-eventSaying goodbye to Ols
And Then There Was One
I sorted the shoes that had carried me across Australia, had one last lunch with Ols, and said goodbye to the other half of my support crew.
I laid out the shoes that had carried me across Australia. Ten pairs of Hokas, some worn through, some still good for a few more kilometres. I knew a few people had been waiting for a photo of the whole collection lol.
The three pairs of Stinson Lites had done about 2,700 km between them from Perth to Adelaide. One blue pair, “blue 2”, had somehow been on my feet for Kalgoorlie, the South Australian border and the end of the Nullarbor. They were finished, but I was keeping them. My feet had grown from a US 14 to a US 15 during the walk, which explained why some of the Adelaide replacement shoes had become painful. The Stinson 3s did much of the work from Adelaide to Yass, then the Valors took over. Two pairs of Valors still had life in them.
I offered five of the other pairs for bids, signed or unsigned, with the money going to the Heart Foundation. Anything left would be donated or binned. Runwest and Hoka OneOne Australia had kept me supplied all the way through. I genuinely don’t think I could have finished without those shoes.
Then it was time for another farewell lunch. Ben had left yesterday; today it was Ols. Afterwards I took him to Bunk Brisbane in Fortitude Valley, where he headed off with his backpack. And then there was one…
It’s hard to believe Ols and I had first met less than half a year before. He and Ben had spent four months waiting for me, doing the washing, cooking, shopping for food and booking campsites. They were the best support crew I could have wished for. I couldn’t have done it without them, and I love them for it. I wished Ols all the very best for the future and hoped his time with HAA had changed it for the better.
I also spent some time exploring near Michelle’s place in Jindalee. Spring had arrived, the weather was lovely, and the paths beside the river were a good place to slow down for a bit.
Later I received a message from one of our supporters. Their father had suffered two heart attacks over the weekend and was heading to hospital for a triple bypass. They thanked us for the fundraising, even with all that going on in their family. It was a touching message. I sent my best wishes for a successful operation and a speedy recovery. Heart disease can strike anyone, at any time.
Images From The Day
