WHETHER it was sunstroke or some other illness, Jo Hamilton-Vale’s 24 hour paddle on Lake Hume perhaps wasn’t meant to be – but the champion athlete is still confident the overall goal of the endeavour will be fulfilled.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The ultra-endurance athlete and paddleboard world record holder had set out to hit the water for 24 straight hours to raise money for people affected by cancer, a task she had taken on many times previously before she and her husband moved to Albury earlier this year.
But at 1.30am on Sunday morning, 13-and-a half hours after setting off from Ebden Reserve, Hamilton-Vale had to return to land.
Despite making it through the first portion of the attempt with no problems, Hamilton-Vale said her body temperature dropped rapidly, and she fell ill.
After being unable to even drink water for some time, and with the wind picking up in the early hours of the morning, a decision was made to put an end to the exercise.
“It was heart-wrenching to have to pull out,” she said.
“The combination of darkness, the weather, and not being able to keep anything down meant we couldn’t keep going.
“I’ve had failures before in five years of racing, you just pick yourself up and concentrate on the next one.”
While the paddle didn’t go as planned, the fundraising definitely did.
Hamilton-Vale raised $6000 for her efforts, which will go to several local families through the Ronald McDonald House.
“We all live life as an effort to have fun, I believe every person has the right to have fun,” she said.
“Sometimes with a disease like cancer, it can take that right to have fun away.
“If someone smiles, even for just two minutes, because we were able to give them money, then it’s been a success.
“All I want from these families is a photo of whatever they do to have fun; I don’t care if they spend $1000 on ice-cream.”
Though disappointed with the outcome of the weekend’s endeavour, Hamilton-Vale said she was looking forward to her next major event, in the A.C.T. in two weeks’ time.
She is also looking expand the 24-hour paddle next year.