IT may have started as a light-hearted wager between friends, but the Laurie Bender-Barry Rushworth Wallerawang to Portland Walkathon has achieved serious results for cancer research and awareness.
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This Sunday, May 28, people from across the Lithgow region will gather at the Royal Hotel in Wallerawang at 11am to trek the 11km to Portland, all in the name of supporting the community’s fight against cancer.
This year marks 10 years of the walkathon, which has raised more than $340,000 for cancer research so far.
“It started with 25 people and it just grew from there,” walk co-founder Barry Rushworth said.
“There were 800 people last year.”
The walk began, as all good ideas do, as an idle talk between friends.
"Laurie Bender and myself, we were talking one day, and he was bit of a bookie, he said ‘I bet you I can walk from Portland to Wallerawang faster than you,” he said.
“It all went from there.”
Now it is a community event which organiser John Kearns said showed huge community spirit. Laurie Bender has since passed away and the walk continues as a memorial to him.
The event is open to everyone. Together, the community will get some exercise and honour those in our lives affected by cancer.
Youngsters are more than welcome to bring their push bikes or scooters with them.
Buses will also follow the procession between towns for those that find the walk just that little bit too long.
Buses start running from 8.30am from Portland to Wallerawang to ferry participants to the walk and once again from Portland back to Wallerawang after the walk is complete.
Lithgow City Council has supported the walk once again by approving road closures and State Emergency Services volunteers will be on hand to assist with traffic control.
There is no need to register, you can just turn up on the day with your walking shoes ready to go.
Once you reach the finish line at The Coronation Hotel, Portland there will provide a free sausage sizzle for participants, accompanied by the vocal stylings of Casey McFarland and giveaways.
Everything kicks off on Saturday, May 27 at Williams Meats Portland, where a sausage sizzle will be held and raffle tickets will be sold.
Walkers can come along, grab their raffle tickets, fuel up and start getting excited for the very long walk the next day.