The Bayley Beat Walks Again
30th of June 2009
Once again a team from Bayley House joined over 14,000 other people to take part in Run Melbourne, a large community based fun run/walk around the Botanical Gardens, MCG and Birrarung Marr.Held on June 28, this is the second year Run Melbourne has been conducted and Bayley House has been involved in both events. Fourteen people from the Bayley House formed the Bayley Beat team of walkers; Bri, Mei Sze, Maddie, Peter G, Angus, Sarah W, Sam W, Dominic. Kouli, Tony, Jess, Natalie, Jacqui and Georgina. Many were involved last year and enjoyed the event so much they were keen to participate again.
The weather was fantastic as was the atmosphere and our team finished in 1 hour and 20 minutes. We may not have beaten any world records but we certainly broke a few hearts. The announcer called out everyone’s name as they crossed the line and congratulated the Bayley Beat on their efforts. Some of our team found the 5km walk quite a challenge as this was the longest distance they had ever walked. For them it felt more like a marathon than a short walk but they came through in leaps and bounds and exceeded their expectations.
As the announcer said to the crowd ….” Give these guys a cheer….they are a very special group of walkers.”
Not only had they conquered the course, but the Bayley Beat had helped raise approximately $4500 for the Recreation Program. The funds will be used to subsidise some of the activities conducted in the program and enable more people to be involved in recreational and community based activities.
The Bayley Beat’s involvement in the Run Melbourne event over the past few years has benefitted the team members in so many ways. It has improved fitness, created a great sense of camaraderie and team spirit, boosted confidence and provided great pride and satisfaction in being involved in such a large event. Everyone who did this year’s walk is keen to participate again next year and have even planned to start a regular walking group to get more people interested. Some have even talked about tackling the 10km walk!
Thank you to all those who supported us on the day – we hope to see you walking with us again next year!