Our friend Scotty Orchard is taking on a challenge for his 50th birthday – running 50 hours in support of the Love Mercy Foundation.
Scotty is a distance runner from Melbourne. He works in the travel and tourism industry operating a Quest Apartment Franchise in Melbourne. He admits he is an athletics tragic – he loves competing and watching others compete, whether it’s his kids at local athletics meets, or friends in major races in Australia through to many of Australia’s finest distance runners competing on the world stage.
Why was he inspired to reach out to Eloise and Love Mercy?
Other than being a fan of Eloise and Australian Distance Running, Scotty was inspired by the impact that the Love Mercy Foundation has achieved over the past 12 years in the communities of northern Uganda. He decided to get actively involved after hearing the Love Mercy story, how the foundation came to fruition and the future goals to grow the impact of Love Mercy projects.
I felt it was time to get up and do something about the challenges that these communities are facing. It is hard for me to comprehend as a father of 3 boys, that there are still communities in the world that don’t have access to clean drinking water, or their only access is a walk of 3 km or more per day.
The ability to link up with an organisation like Love Mercy and assist with raising vital funds for Well Worth It that will have a significant and longer sustainable impact, is what excites Scotty the most.
The difference that a borehole and well make within these communities is immense, and I wanted to help in a small way.
Scotty has been a distance runner most of his life
Since taking up the sport as a child through Little Athletics, Scotty found his love of running. He found out pretty early on that his genetics did not allow him to run fast; however, he could certainly run for long periods of time, which saw him target most distances from 10km through to the marathon, and a few Ultra Marathons.
He feels fortunate to have represented Australia in Ultra Running at the World Trail Running Championships in Texas and the Commonwealth Ultra Running Championships in the 24 hours race. Whilst Scotty notes that both events did not go to plan, sometimes it’s not about the result and more about the journey of getting to the start line.
He loves the simplistic nature of running
Scotty loves that running is not an expensive sport and it’s a sport that can be done in so many different places around the world. The variety of surfaces and locations is a major factor in creating his love for running. He has been actively involved in his local Little Athletics Club as a committee member and also as a parent, and he feels it’s great to see the enjoyment of kids competing at the grassroots level.
Over the past 10 years, he started to use running to not only achieve his personal goals, but to also put more meaning behind it. Whether it is to raise money for a cause, to raise awareness of global issues or simply inspire others to follow their dreams.
As I am turning 50 this year, I can think of no better birthday present to myself than to run for 50 hours and hopefully ‘pay forward’ the gift of clean water to communities that have never had this. Making a difference is one of the biggest motivating factors for me to undertake this challenge.
How will he achieve the 50 hours?
To achieve the 50 hours, he will not only need to commit to quite a significant amount of training but will also be drawing on previous endurance events that he has undertaken over the past 10 years, including multi-Oxfam Trailwalker, ultra-running including 100km road races through to 24-hour track races and charity runs from Canberra to Melbourne and also around Port Philip Bay in Melbourne.
I believe that the biggest challenge to running for 50 hours will be overcoming the sleep deprivation and ensuring that a consistent nutrition strategy is followed. I am lucky that I have quite a few mentors to lean on during my training which will be very important leading up to, and during the event.
Finally, these challenges are only able to be achieved through the support of family and friends; Scotty feels he’s very fortunate to have the love and support of an amazing family – his wife and three sons. It’s this support that will drive him to succeed.
Come by to run a lap or cheer Scotty on!
WHEN: Friday 9th September, 7am to Sunday 11th September 9am
WHERE: The Tan, Melbourne
Plus at 8:15am Sunday morning, everyone is invited to walk the last lap with him. Then, stay for Scotty’s finish celebration morning tea at 9am at the Pillars of Wisdom.
