Rather than coming to work today, Luke Cuthbertson, SitePoint’s CEO, is going for a walk.
Mind you, this is not just some light stroll in the park. Luke is participating in the Oxfam TrailWalker challenge, a gruelling course that sees teams make their way on foot through 100kms (62 miles) of Australian bushland. This year, over 700 teams of four are taking part in the challenge in order to raise money for Oxfam Australia, a well-established non-profit organisation providing support programs for communities in need, both in Australia and around the world.
What Luke and the other teams are tackling is no walkover (excuse the pun). It’s tough. Teams walk through the night and require training, blister packs, and a support crew. Walkers suffer blisters and fatigue as they battle to make it to the end of the course in less than 48 hours, all in the name of fundraising for a good cause.
If you’re curious how Luke is tracking, you can follow him on Twitter or get live GPS updates through Runkeeper. You can also show your support by making a donation online if you’re so inclined. Both SitePoint and 99designs have kindly contributed $500 each towards Luke’s team, and a number of individuals around the office are also sponsoring Luke’s walk. They’ve managed to raise over $3,000 to date, which is a fantastic achievement.
On behalf of everyone in the office, best of luck Luke!
Update: It seems Luke’s phone is out of battery, so the real-time updates and tweets have stopped. You can still keep up with Luke’s team’s progress on the Oxfam web site. People have also reported difficulties donating online—if you’re interested in supporting this worthy cause, please keep trying.
Update: Two of Luke’s team members made it to the end. Unfortunately Luke had to bow out at the 93 km checkpoint—only 7 kms from the end!
Matthew MagainMatthew Magain is a UX designer with over 15 years of experience creating exceptional digital experiences for companies such as IBM, Australia Post, and sitepoint.com. He is currently the Chief Doodler at Sketch Group, Co-founder of UX Mastery, and recently co-authored Everyday UX, an inspiring collection of interviews with some of the best UX Designers in the world. Matthew is also the creator of Charlie Weatherburn and the Flying Machine.
