Fundraising effort ‘easy’ enough
A number of organisations will benefit from money raised by the Whitehorse Big Easy event held in Waimate yesterday.
Committee treasurer Raewyn Francis said they were unsure how much money had been raised on Sunday but were expecting the total to be in excess of $20,000.
Francis said the money raised would benefit various Waimate charities including the Waimate food bank and Parenting Hub, as well as helping develop the town’s running and mountain bike tracks.
About 400 entrants registered for the event and although the weather deterred a few, there ended up being ‘‘more sun than rain’’.
‘‘There was a bit of a shower then the sun came out,’’ Francis said.
Prior to yesterday, 10 teams had raised almost $6000, with another $15,000 expected to flow in from entries for individual events, she said.
It was the third year the event had been held. This year it started and finished at Victoria Park.
The success of the event in its first two years had been repeated in 2019, she said.
‘‘It’s building up a bit of a reputation,’’ Francis said. The event was originally planned as a one-off to promote new walking and mountain biking tracks but because of its popularity, organisers decided to do it again and make it an annual event.
‘‘The tracks are getting better and more interesting as we can fund them,’’ Francis said. Teams of two took on a 26 kilometre mountain bike ride and an 18km run, with each team required to raise at least $500 for charity before they raced.
Other races included 25km, 13km, and 5km mountain bike tracks, as well as 18km, 12km, and 5km walk or run tracks.