Last Sunday marked the end of the tenth Titirangi Mt. Everest Challenge.
For the seven weeks of the challenge, 1,547 participants set out to climb the maunga to complete the 68 climbs, the equivalent of Mt. Everest. Altogether, participants climbed the maunga over 15,000 times.
Each participant had their own unique story of what the challenge meant to them. For some it was to raise funds and awareness for the East Coast Cancer Society to support locals living with bowel cancer, for others, it was to climb the maunga for the first time in their life or to join their friends and whānau in a team for a bit of fun and to keep active.
The Hulkfit Team topped the team leader board with a combined total of 3,171 climbs, while the Last of the Summer Wine team, with an average age of 76 years, averaged 74 climbs each.
This year, a participant made event history, Lewy Flemming topped the individual leader board with a total of 420 climbs. This is the most climbs that has ever been recorded in the ten years of the Titirangi Mt. Everest Challenge.
“After ten years of the Titirangi Mt Everest Challenge it continues to have some incredible stories and achievements recorded. Talking with some of the individuals and teams that participated during the event really emphasised how life changing it can be. We would like to celebrate all those that participated and encourage people to continue what they have started as this maunga and others, are here for us to enjoy 365 days of the year,” said Sport Gisborne Tairāwhiti Events Advisor Debbie Hutchings.
With support from Ngati Oneone, Sean and Fiona Shivnan, the East Coast Cancer Society, the Gisborne District Council and ProTraffic, as well as local champions such as Huringa Pai, the event was able to raise awareness and funds for the East Coast Cancer Society to support locals living with bowel cancer.
