340km walk for Lifeline awareness
There may have been some bumps in the road but an Invercargill man has competed a walk from Oamaru to Bluff to raise awareness about Lifeline.
Daniel Johansen, a personal trainer at Snap Fitness in Invercargill, finished a walk from Oamaru to Bluff on Sunday, to raise support and money for the group, which provides free community phone helplines.
Accompanying him on the walk was Snap Fitness Oamaru manager Andrew Allardice and gym member Matt Davey.
The trio started their journey on May 19 in Oamaru, with the idea of averaging about 50 kilometres a day as they made their way to Bluff, where they finished their walk at Stirling Point. The walk, which covered more than 340km, had certainly taken its toll physically, with the trio forced to take a break for two days for treatment on severely swollen ankles to prevent permanent damage.
‘‘It’s physically one of the hardest things I’ve done, racking those kilometres up day after day,’’ Johansen said. ‘‘Matt climbs mountains, and on paper this is quite easy, as it’s just walking in a straight line, but he was sur- prised at the toll it takes on the body.’’
Along the way the trio worked on building awareness of Lifeline and talking to people about the service and the importance of reaching out for help.
The trio raised more than $2000 for the cause.