In a test of absolute physical endurance, a team of four women came up triumphant after completing the famous Oxfam Trail Walker India event held in Bengaluru recently — finishing the 100-km walk in just 40 hours against the stipulated 48 hours.
The city-based group comprising Archana Bisht, Pusphita Balakrishnan, Anjali Joshi and Anuradha Kammila Raju (all in their 40s), are part of team ‘She Cares’, and covered extremely rocky terrain, fought exhaustion and endured several obstacles, including blisters from the 16-km mark itself. But all of it led to “the most gratifying moment” of their lives.
Archana explains: “Our initial target was to complete 61 km on Day 1. However, as we started developing blisters on our feet, we managed to complete only 41 km. Even as the medics tried to tape them up, it had become too difficult to continue any further.” And after resting for three hours, they resumed their second day, still having to cover another 58 km within 24 hours.
“We started off with gusto and would celebrate every kilometre there on. However, the last five kilometres was the toughest as we were exhausted.”
Their resolve to not give up motivated them to cross the finishing line eight hours before the stipulated 48 hours, she says.
The preparation was pretty extensive. Pushpita recalls, “Initially, we would walk for five kilometres and gradually increased that to 15. In our last practice before the event, we managed to complete 43 km in 13 hours. But as we practised on tar roads, we were not prepared for this kind of terrain. However, we learnt to adapt,” says Pushpita.
These four friends found strength in each other. Anjali says, “We are four different people with very different mindsets, but our common goal kept us going.”
Anjali who is a insurance agent further adds, “We wanted to do something for the society. While individually we might be able to help one person at a time, as a community, we can help on a bigger scale and so we got together. The funding through this walk will now benefit so many families.”
