Kokoda Trail – Grace’s Story

It’s great to see our clients getting out into nature and exploring the world we live in. Last year Grace was one of those clients who had an amazing experience.

Training Grace for the Kokoda Trail was fantastic and I’m very proud of the effort she put into her workouts and the progress we saw in her strength and fitness. We had to work on her strength, endurance and joint stability to gain fitness and avoid injury both before and on the walk.

Here’s her story:

Between the 23^rd of September and the 4^th of October, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to walk the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea.

I was sponsored to walk the trail by St Marys Leagues Club as part of the Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge, a program led by Adventure Kokoda. During World War II, the Australian’s engaged in fighting with the Japanese here; about 625 Australian soldiers lost their lives fighting on the Kokoda Trail, and over 1000 were wounded in action, and 13,000 Japanese lives were lost here.

Words cannot fully explain how amazing this experience was, I genuinely struggle to put it into words. It was tough, exhausting and demanding, both physically and mentally. For ten days, we walked through mud, rivers, tropical storms and temperatures above 30 degrees. In ten days, my group covered 144km, 7858m of uphills and 8000m of declines.

Whilst walking, it’s a very big mix of emotions. I was often deeply saddened to learn about the sacrifices that were made along the trail, but at the same time, you have to be thankful for them. Along the trail, there is a memorial is Isurava of four pillars that read ‘courage, endurance, mateship, sacrifice’ – four traits that encapsulate the characteristics of those who fought along the trail, and a reflection of the ANZAC Spirit which you fully gain an understanding of when walking the trail.

In the six months prior to walking the trail, increasing my fitness levels was a big priority because the fitter you are, the better the experience is. Alongside running and hiking weekly, I was training at Blue Mountains Personal Training Studios. Having never been to a gym before, I wanted to ensure I got as strong as possible, but I didn’t want to injure myself, so having a personal trainer made this possible. I did weekly personal training sessions with Adam, and regularly did small group sessions with Natalie and Jason, and this definitely made a massive difference. I became noticeably stronger, harder hikes became less physically demanding, and most importantly my confidence increased which ultimately allowed me to complete the Kokoda Trail (it is 30% physical and 70% mental!).

Walking the Kokoda trail is much more than just a walk, it is recognising the camaraderie the soldiers shared with their mates and recognising that what I experienced is nothing compared to what the soldiers endured.  It’s paying respect to those who fought, those who were injured, those who lost their lives, and the families that were devastated by these losses. It’s embracing the rich culture, and the support of the locals, but more than anything it is remembering the sacrifice that was made so that we could live the lives we do today, and for that, I will be eternally grateful.

If you get the opportunity to walk the trail, I would definitely encourage you to do it! It was the best experience of my life and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Thank you to Adam and the team at BMTPS for all the support along the way!