Michael Collins and David Tuckwood get acquainted with some four-legged friends and CAPS’ Nicole Pritchard and Shayna Reeves ahead of the pair’s monster fundraiser run between Weipa and Cairns in August. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
There’s commitment to a cause, and then there’s pounding the Peninsula Developmental Road (PDR) for more than a fortnight to show your support in a fundraising effort to top all others.
Weipa’s Michael Collins and David Tuckwood are part of the furniture within western Cape York’s tightknit running community, and have announced they will tackle the 820-kilometre trek between the township and Cairns to raise money for the Cape Animal Protection Shelter (CAPS) and the Royal Flying Doctor Service’s (RFDS) Far North Queensland service.
The pair is aiming to knock off more than a marathon every day for 17 days, leaving Weipa on 22 August and arriving in Cairns on 7 September.
Mr Tuckwood said the concept had started as a challenge from his wife, Susie, and snowballed from there.
“I was out running with Susie one morning, my wife, and I just said to her, ‘I reckon I could run from Weipa to Cairns’ and she said, ‘well, you need to talk to Michael’, and I spoke to him that afternoon, and he said, ‘awesome, I’ve been looking for someone to do this with and let’s go ahead’ and it hasn’t stopped since then.”
Mr Collins said the prospect of taking on the trip that takes most people 10 or more hours in a vehicle was quite daunting.
“It’s the biggest running challenge I’ve ever undertaken and, at this point, it sort of feels out of reach, but I sort of feel like it’s one of those things you just get started and see it all come into play,” he said.
“All the training we’ve done up to now is sort of coming together and should get us through.”
While the runners are still finalising the logistics of support crews and the like, CAPS president Shayna Reeves praised the lengths they were going to for the Weipa-based not-for-profit.
“It’s phenomenal, the thought behind what they’re doing, because it’s honestly hard yakka – it’s a 10-hour drive, let alone them going to run it,” she said.
“The fact that they’re looking at raising money for CAPS alongside [the RFDS] is amazing; I know for us, the money would go like a long way; we’re wanting to expand and get some more exercise yards, so, if we hit the goal that they’re aiming to achieve, then that basically funds our next construction project, which would be huge.”
Ms Reeves said both men had a personal link to CAPS and the work the organisation did on western Cape York.
“They’ve both been involved,” she explained.
“David, for instance, he’s actually got an adopted CAPS dog … and Michael’s always been a part of checking in and seeing how things are going; he’s very community orientated.”
RFDS Far North mental health manager Jos Middleton said it was “heartwarming” the men were prepared to hit the road to promote and support the organisation’s work.
“To go to these sorts of lengths to help out with the mental health and wellbeing services we offer across Cape York is just incredible,” she said.
To donate to the fundraiser for CAPS, visit the Cruisin 2 Cairns 4 CAPS webpage, or the RFDS webpage to support the delivery of mental health, wellbeing and emergency medical services on Cape York.
