Battling the elements of nature- a fun day of kayaking!

Against All Odds had a great start in the Accor Race to Survive to CureKids

Thanks to our sponsors we became the top donating team in less than two weeks. And now it is time to get serious in training!

Our first team training was scheduled to be early saturday morning, and there were secret prays for cold, wet and miserable weather among the team members so the training could be cancelled! Alas, the gods of training were generous and blessed the team with a great autumn weather and the training was on.

The training was a kayak session and we met at Drummoyne and decided to become best friends with the kayaks which we were rarely acquainted before . We quickly realised the water was rough for our liking and experience. When we got out of the protected cove, we were facing the elements of wind, currents, waves and so kayaking was hard. There were a few near capsize moments and one actual capsize, not very pleasant considering the tempature of the water ( cold, very cold!).

The elements did not dampen our spirit but we decided to turn back to the more protected cove area so we can just concentrate on kayaking instead of battling the elements. Afterwards was all smooth and we enjoyed the harbour and overall kayaked around 5-6 km. Click on the photo slideshow on the right side for the photos.

Now we will keep training individually on swimming, running and bicyling and meet over the following weekends for kayaking. Watch this space for future sessions.

Meanwhile the team members will also update the blog with their own training so check our blog regularly to get update about individual trainings.

We are committed to training hard for this race and we aim high with donations- this is where you can help, and donate online to help this great cause.

Team members

Team “Against All Odds”

Latest team to join the ACCOR RACE TO SURVIVE TO CURE KIDS, the team was formed in mid july. Yet despite their late inception, they are brimming with confidence and enthusiasm. Their confidence may be due to the fact that none of them did this race before and do not know what they are getting into. Their enthusiasm may not help them to finish this race at the top ranks, however, it may lead to a great amount of donation for the kids.

Cenk Baban

Cenk decided to take part in the race when he saw the race DVD -many times during his holiday at Fiji. He is the team captain. Although team members told him they elected him because he looked more “athletic” than everyone else, he suspects it is because they want him to do all the paperwork. But he will have his revenge by organising rigorous training sessions. When he is not plotting his training sessions, he can be found @ Mercure Hotel Sydney Airport- looking after marketing. He loves all of the sports in the race and is a veteran ACCOR team member of City2Surf and Corporate Triathlon.

Ana-Maria Montoya-Lazo

Among hectic wedding plans, Ana- Maria put her hands up to take part in this great race. According to one conspiracy theory, it is because she wants to fit in to that wedding dress she contemplates buying. Nevertheless she promised to schedule the wedding after the race and do not let her wedding plans stop her from training. Among all this chaos, she is still a long term member of Construction & Cost team in Sydney.

Trish Oswald

Trish has no experience in endurance events, but does enjoy team sports. Trish plays a high level of hockey in the winter and enjoys some social touch footy and recreational football in the summer. Trish has never been to Fiji before and is looking forward to the challenge and the experience of a lifetime. The opportunity to help support such a great cause is a major motivator for Trish who is the Furniture, Fittings & Equipment Supervisor for Accor Asia Pacific.

Lee Marklew

Lee is rumoured to celebrate his 60^th birthday which would entitle him to be rewarded as the oldest participant in the race. Yet, it is only a rumour and his real age is kept as a secret. His training regime is another secret which makes him the “ secret weapon” of the team. Lee’s slowest time in the City to Surf was 69 minutes but that is also rumoured to have been 30 years ago. His previous experience in long distance swimming and the fact that he has access to 3 canoes position him as a crucial team member. He is known to burn the midnight oil as head of Construction team in Sydney.