The Gold Coast Kokoda challenge is a gruelling 48km or 96km race through the Gold Coast hinterland that includes up to 5000m of elevation. School teams compete in the Jim Stillman Cup over 48km and the Stan Bisset Cup over 96km as a team of four students with one teacher supervisor. Teams start working towards completion of the event in Term 1 by completing practise hikes all over the GC Hinterland as well as raising money for the Kokoda Youth Foundation.
This year, QAHS aims to enter 2 x 96km teams and 2 x 48km teams with the support of staff supervisors and support crew. Training started in earnest on Saturday 12 March with a 7km hike up the steep Numinbah Environmental Education Centre hill. Training hikes will continue throughout Term 2 in the lead up to the event in July, increasing in intensity and difficulty. The aim is that teams will complete 200km during training.
The hikers thoroughly enjoyed the first training hike, completing it in just over two hours, and are looking forward to the challenge of longer distances and overnight hiking. Teams will be finalised and published in Week 10.
Well done to those students for demonstrating grit, perseverance and courage in taking on the Kokoda Challenge in 2022.
Rachael Hart
HOD Global Learners