Sport
5 November, 2024
Health kick for charity and summer ‘bods’
You may have noticed some unusual ‘fitness’ activities around town recently with a group of locals undertaking the Nedd’s Uncomfortable Challenge and the ‘Gilgandra Gets Going’ NSW Knockout Health Challenge.
Both health challenges encourage participants to get moving—which is good timing with summer right around the corner for the ‘ever elusive’ summer body.
The NSW Knockout Health Challenge is being coordinated by Gilgandra Shire Council and features a number of fitness events through September, October, and November. These include what most people would call normal fitness activities such as dedicated gym sessions and a walk/run along the Windmill Walk. There is also an extra incentive to this challenge with a reward at the end of each activity—a café voucher—and the person who attends the most sessions will win a gym membership or season pool pass. Members of the Gilgandra Run Club (pictured below) are participating in both challenges.
The Nedd’s Uncomfortable Challenge is anything but normal. The now viral 10-day challenge was started by electrician-turned-ultra marathon runner Nedd Brockman, who recently ran 1600km over 10 days (while eating and sleeping) at the Sydney Olympic Stadium. Hoping to raise $10 million for his homelessness charity, he then threw out the challenge to the country to participate for 10 days in October. So far, Nedd has raised nearly $4.5 million.
The local group is named ‘#Gilgets uncomfortable’, and you may have seen them doing some strange things around town. Each day consists of a different task designed to make the participants uncomfortable. They have held signs up in the main street asking motorists to ‘honk for squats’, they have walked in the Warrumbungles, run a few dozen kilometres (some of those in Sydney), ran up the steps of the McGrane Oval grandstand, done burpees, pilates, fitness activities with children on their backs or in tow, gym sessions, and one day even gave out enthusiastic compliments to make people ‘uncomfortable’.
The challenge will end today (October 29) with an uncomfortable jump/swim in the Gilgandra pool—which may also be a reward!
