On Saturday morning at 4am, a core group of runners set off from The Jetty with support cyclist Jackson Adams.

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Spirits were high in the cool of the morning on flat roads out of the city.

“Our aim was to keep together to Karangi, then on to Coramba,” runner Mitch Walton told News Of The Area.

After that, the runners would find their own pace and others would join in for a stage.

With the day that lay ahead, conversations were cheerful, and morale was high, said Mitch.

“Red Hill, the first major challenge, was small [compared] to the enormity of Sherwood Creek Road.

“Confidently, I can say each runner left a little bit of their soul out there.”

Without the motivation and support from our crew, Mitch says they wouldn’t have made it through.

“Their high praise of our efforts and updates on the growing fundraising, definitely was the push we needed to continue.”

It was a steaming hot and humid day.

“The heat was the challenger for us all.

“Despite the adequate hydration and fueling, it was the one thing you couldn’t prepare for.

“Poor planning on my part, never having been down through Sherwood Creek Road before, the gravel and winding roads lead us to the hurt locker, mentally and physically.

“Fortunately, we kept putting one foot in front of the other, and kept looking forward to the next aid stop.”

Knowing they had a stop every hour or so, was the light at the end of a demanding 10km block.

Everyone had prepped well for the day and that showed with the distance each runner put in.

Mentally gruelling at some points, they kept talking, laughing and that helped them get through.

Cracking on to Arrawarra and then south with the salt air in their noses, they ticked off Korora then headed into the coast back to The Jetty by early evening.

“Emotions were high as we hit the end, running toward our families and community.

“Knowing we had surpassed our fundraising goal was the icing on the cake and made the end that bit sweeter.

“Each person who set out to complete the 100km did so, sub 15 hours, keeping in mind the stops between.”

With aid station stops along the way, the actual run time was around 12 hours.

“So many people joined in with a bunch of people running personal bests including multiple first marathons,” Matthew Spence said.

In preparation, long distance runner Melinda Counter from Moonee advised the runners on their nutrition and race tactics.

“On race day, you’ve got to get your nutrition and hydration right at the beginning,” she said.

“Otherwise, you can hit the wall and be in trouble later.”

Behind the scenes there was “an incredible outpouring of generosity from the community and our club that made the event so special,” Mitch said.

“From random acts of kindness like offering drinks and food, to support staff bike-riding or driving 120km, parents from our juniors and seniors setting up roadside stalls, and local businesses stepping up with products and assistance.

“It’s incredibly humbling to see the response from the Snappers club, friends and families.

“It just goes to show the passion our community has toward supporting the premier rugby club on the coast.”

Redkite’s commitment to providing practical, financial and emotional support to families has been the charity’s focus for over 40 years.

Its services help families from the moment their child is diagnosed with cancer until after their treatment ends.

Even if their child dies because of cancer, Redkite stays with families for as long as they need them.

By Andrea FERRARI