Ladies Walk Inca Trek For Cancer Charity Raising £4,500

23rd March 2015

... Comments

Two inspiring women from the south, both in their mid-60s, completed the arduous Inca Trek in Peru and raised £4,500 for the Isle of Man Anti-Cancer Association.

To complete the 50km trek, at high altitude, with hundreds of steps, is an achievement at any age; the terrain is very challenging and during the five-day trek, there is little reprieve at night as you are in sleeping bags on the ground in tents.

‘At 67 your joints are not like you were when you were younger,’ said Jackie Elliott, who lives in Port Erin.

But having survived breast cancer, Jackie was up for the challenge.

She said: ‘I wanted to do it, I was diagnosed 10 years ago. After that happened I watched on television a group of ladies doing it (the trek), I thought if they can do it I will. My husband was ill with bowel cancer, he died.

‘The trek was something to aim for throughout that. It was everything I hoped for and imagined.’â¨She was joined by her friend Liz Geldart, 65, whose family have also been touched by cancer, and she was walking in their memory.

To maximise funds, they paid for the trek themselves meaning all the sponsorship money went to the association, and they thanked sponsors for their generosity. In turn, the association thanked Jackie and Liz for their tremendous efforts.

They trained by doing lots of walking, and tackling the steps by the bridge in Douglas, but preparing for the altitude was impossible. They had two days to adjust in Cuzco when they suffered from nausea and headaches, fortunately they felt much improved in time for the trek itself.

There was a small hitch when Liz fell when crossing the road and broke her wrist just four weeks prior to departure and she found out just two days before departure she could go.

At one stage, Jackie thought she was beaten. ‘The last night we camped then we did over 12-13 hours of walking. It was pitch black I had just my head torch, we were going down what seemed like thousands and thousands of steps. I said to the guide: “Just leave me here”.

‘I got to the camp and just cried with elation as well, I knew that was it, I would make it.’

The climax of the Inca Trail is arriving at the majestic Sun Gate and looking out at the ruins of Machu Picchu; before descending down to explore the ancient lost city of the Incas.

Jackie said: ‘The emotion when we arrived at the Sun Gate was overwhelming ... We were so happy that we had achieved our goal – shattered but very proud.’

Why do such a physically demanding challenge when there are other ways of funds? ‘I’m very involved in the breast cancer support group, the trek was nothing compared with the courage of people in that group and what they are going through.’ said Jackie. ‘It’s an inner thing, you think why on earth am I doing this - even before I went training. It’s survival, you will keep going and if you can help other people at the same time, even better.’

Featured on IOM Today.

About the Author