After 22 days, David Tuckwood and Michael Collins reach the end of the road on the Cairns Esplanade at 9:43am on Friday. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
Their bodies may be blistered, bruised and battered, but no one was removing the beaming smiles from the faces of David Tuckwood and Michael Collins when they crossed the finish line in their mammoth fundraising run from Weipa to Cairns on 12 September.
After 22 days and 825.57 kilometres, the pair took the final steps in their journey at 9:43am on Friday morning, surrounded by family, friends, members of the Weipa running community and complete strangers applauding their remarkable effort.
The journey most people prefer to do in a plane or as a 10-hour road trip was in aid of the Cape Animal Protection Shelter (CAPS) and the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), and the men stripped off their shoes and waded into the welcoming water of the Cairns Esplanade lagoon moments after they ran through an improvised finish line.
The fundraiser was born from an idea Mr Tuckwood had that he could run from western Cape York to the Far North Queensland capital, and he said he still could not believe the pair had actually achieved it.
Family, friends and members of the Weipa running community celebrate with David Tuckwood and Michael Collins after their 825.57-kilometre fundraising run. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
“God, I’m happy it’s done,” he laughed.
“It’s been awesome; it’s the biggest thing I’ve ever done, and I don’t think it’s kicked in yet.”
Mr Collins praised everyone who had donated to their effort, whether to CAPS or the RFDS, or by supplying them snacks, drinks and moral support.
“It would not have even been possible without everyone stopping to help us and cheering us on,” he said.
“A big thanks to Nicole (Pritchard, who helped co-ordinate the event) and the roadhouses and stations that jumped in and helped us out as well.”
There was plenty of congratulations offered by swimmers in the Cairns Esplanade lagoon on 12 September when they learned of the magnitude of Weipa pair Michael Collins and David Tuckwood’s running effort. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
CAPS president Shayna Reeves said she was still coming to terms with the scope of the pair’s commitment to fundraising for the organisation.
“I’m honestly amazed, and like I said right from the very start, I thought the boys were crazy, but they just had this willpower and drive to get it done, despite the ups and downs that we’ve had along the track,” she said.
“They have pushed on and pushed on, and just achieved their goal, and we couldn’t be any more grateful for them and everything that they’ve done.”
And just how much time off their feet were the pair planning after their 22-day odyssey? Well, less than 12 hours, as it turns out.
The dynamic – and some would suggest crazy – duo backed up for Run Port Douglas on 13 September, with Mr Collins tackling the “it’s only a short run” half marathon, while Mr Tuckwood laced up his shoes to run the 10km event with his son, Tyrone.
The smile says it all as Michael Collins and David Tuckwood congratulate each other on finishing their Weipa-Cairns run while cooling off on the Esplanade on Friday morning. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
