Elise’s Journey To ‘Moving For The Mind’
By Elise Marcianti
I had an idea. To run and hike from Kosciuszko to Bright. My journey would consist of an ultramarathon at the highest point of Australia, and then a hike of 250km along the Australian Alps walking track to Bright in Victoria.
I knew it was a bit of a crazy idea because it would be the farthest I’ve run, farthest I’ve hiked, and the longest time I’ve been solo. But I was determined to make this idea come true.
After four months of planning and training, I made it to the start line of the Kosci50 Ultramarathon where my journey began.
Honestly, I didn’t know how much would be involved in making my journey happen and it’s been a rollercoaster of problem-solving, learning, and growing.
The lead-up
I juggled quite a few things in the lead-up to my journey. I had to add training on top of my regular schedule of work and everyday life. For training, I joined the ‘Her Trails’ training program for the ultramarathon. For this training, we would either run up Mount Feathertop or Mount Bogong. I also trained at Bright Bootcamp in the mornings. In between training, I was working at Bright Brewery, as well as jumping on podcasts and the radio to raise more awareness about Eating Disorders Families Australia (EDFA) and eating disorders.
The food drop
After the ultramarathon, the plan was to do a 250km hike in the Australian Alps. This required a lot of preparation. I had to prep, dehydrate, and pack my food in advance and drop it off at food drops along the track. In each food drop barrel, I put spare dry clothes, power banks, gas, food (dehydrated Mexican, curry, spag bol, and lots of chocolate!). To do the food drops, I camped out for three days and made my way through the road access points on the track to bury them in their spot.
The logistics
For anyone who knows me, you’ll know as soon as I have an idea, I’ll jump to it. I’ll chuck my runners on before I know a way home, be in the water without bringing a towel, and jump in the car before knowing where I am heading. This meant that planning the logistics for this trip on an excel spreadsheet felt foreign. I had to consider where water would be accessible, how many kilometres I needed to walk each day, sourcing waterproof quality gear and five power banks for charging, how much food I’d need and so much more. Luckily it’s all come together and I am now well into my journey. I’m so excited to be on this adventure to raise awareness and funds for EDFA.
-Elise
You can donate to Elise’s fundraiser now here: https://moving-for-the-mind.raisely.com/
