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Susan Thomas, James Anderson-Pole, Janet Wardle-Peck and Monica Leach at the starting line for the Oxfam Trailwalker in Taranaki.
The first time Monica Leach took part in the Oxfam Trailerwalker was with a group of hearing friends.
Leach, who is Deaf and uses New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL), found it difficult to communicate with the team.
But last weekend, her team Deaf Power Walk completed it in Taranaki as an all-Deaf team.
Being able to communicate and encourage each other in NZSL made all the difference.
READ MORE:
* Crunch time for Oxfam Trailwalker – the nerves of walking 50km
* Oxfam Trailwalker in training: Keeping fundraising personal
With other Deaf friends “it was easy”, Leach said, through an NZSL interpreter via Zoom.
The team completed their 50km over 11 hours with four breaks, through farmlands, rivers and forests – “the scenery was lovely,” said another teammate, Susan Thomas.
But getting to the finish line started well before the event.
Thomas, who was taking part for the first time, went on practice walks beforehand to build up her stamina, with the walks getting longer each time.
Most of the training happened individually because the four teammates lived in different parts of Auckland.
On the day, the team headed out at 7am with their support crew, making sure they had enough food and water – and the very important massages along the way.
OXFAM
Art Green introduced the Oxfam Trailwalker campaign when it was first held in Taranaki in 2021.
Thomas said one of the challenges of being a Deaf team was that because they rely on eye contact and their hands to communicate, if there was an area that was risky – such as rocky terrain or rivers – they needed to stop communicating and concentrate on being safe.
Going around the last bend before the finish line, Thomas said she was thinking she’d had enough. But when the team finally crossed that line, “It was amazing!”
Leach said her body felt “so worn out” by the end, and Thomas was relieved.
Another welcome sight at the finish line were the NZSL interpreters Leach organised through iSign.
“It meant we were on equal standing as the hearing participants,” Thomas said.
For Leach, the best part was the team supporting each other when they felt like giving up. She nodded excitedly when asked if she’d do it again.
Thomas, however, said she has other goals to achieve, including all the Great Walks around Aotearoa.
They both wanted to encourage other young people to get outdoors and challenge themselves, whether they are Deaf or not.
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