(Thursday 26th December)
Driving 222 miles back to the end of day 68 required an early start from Sydney. Reconnecting with the outside world was a great motivator for Mark when he saw how many donations had been made over the Christmas break, all with very supportive messages. We have both said, on numerous occasions, how much of a difference these messages and donations make, even more so when Mark found out on Christmas Day that two people close to him have had the all clear from cancer. Raising money for a cancer charity certainly adds more perspective (if ever needed) to this run.
Another motivator for Mark was listening to a Christmas @thatwineshow podcast recorded especially by Andy Fury and Steffen Peddie. Thanks lads!
Mark set off just after lunchtime from Cootamundra:
"Legs feel very well rested. Plenty of energy. A great start on this very warm day. Sydney here we come!"
The route out of Cootamundra presented some hills which Mark welcomed having spent so many days on straight flat roads. He attacked the day well and managed to end on 20 miles.
"Looks like everything still works. I had a wobble on a down hill section but got stuck in to a hill and that perked me up."
Luckily day 72 ended in Murrumburrah which had a motel with vacancies. This also meant that we had access to cooked food rather than surviving on the snacks packed in the car.
The donations continued to pour in which was great to see. Mark also received a donation from a family of fellow diners in the motel restaurant. This meant that the fund was very close to breaking the £37,000 barrier.
The aim for day 73 would be to reach the town of Yass. The forecast was 34 Celsius so it was certainly set to be another 'warm' one.
