A single lap of Mount Panorama on foot is a strenuous enough, but consider five consecutive laps pushing a two-seater pram?
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Glenn Atkinson accomplished just that this week as he travelled through Bathurst as part of his his 260-kilometre trek from Orange Health Service in NSW Central West to Randwick's Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney to raise funds for the Running for Premature Babies Foundation.
The fundraiser has, so far, netted $202,257, and will go toward funding life-saving neonatal equipment for both hospitals.
The Western Advocate caught up with Mr Atkinson during his third lap of the Mount, and after setting out from Orange on Monday, he comfortably exclaimed the Bathurst leg was the toughest challenge yet.
"We did the first lap going the general direction of the track, and my legs were killing me on the way up the hill," he said.
"So we decided to do the remaining laps in reverse, as the incline is a little easier to manage and there's more of a reprieve across the top."
But regardless of the direction, Mr Atkinson said the pram certainly added to the challenge.
"While it doesn't weigh a lot, you not only have to push the thing uphill, but take extra care downhill to ensure you don't lose control of the pram," he said.
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Mr Atkinson was inspired to participate in the fundraiser after his wife, Renee, experienced a difficult pregnancy, which resulted in their twin girls, Ellie and Zoe [now 10 months old], being born three weeks premature.
"Ellie and Zoe spent the first six weeks of their lives in hospital, initially at Randwick before being transferred back to Orange's special care unit," he said.
"We met some incredible families also going through this stressful situation, and you soon realise a lot of the lifesaving equipment keeping these babies alive is reliant on charity donations, so we just had to do our bit."
Mr Atkinson said he's hopeful the funding will, in particular, enhance neonatal care at Orange Health Service, where a lot of premature Bathurst babies are transferred.
"For about four days, we were the only Orange family in the special care unit; there were families from Bathurst, Forbes and Gulgong," he said.
"The Orange Health Service has such a far-reaching coverage area across the Central West, so we hope this fundraiser can deliver a welcome result for a number of regional families."
For more, visit Glenn's Push From the Bush Facebook page or www.runningforprematurebabies.com.