Australians taken on Kokoda Challenge for youths

 THE Gold Coast Kokoda Challenge, which honours Australia’s World War II diggers, is marking its 10th year.

The challenge covers 96km, the length of the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, across gruelling terrain in the Gold Coast Hinterland.

This year a record 2500 people will line up to test their mettle and raise money for the Kokoda Challenge Youth Programme.

Teams of four will tackle bush, fire trails, huge hills and a dozen creeks through Austinville, Springbrook, Numinbah Valley, Beechmont and Clagiraba to finish in Nerang.

That’s all within a 39 hour time limit, in honour of the 39th Militia.

More than a quarter of people don’t make it to the finish line.

Challenge founder and Vietnam veteran Doug Henderson says 10 years feels like it’s gone by in the blink of an eye.

“I don’t think Anna, my wife, and I would have ever envisioned just how great this organisation would grow,” he said. “It’s just an extraordinary journey.”

Doug was inspired when he first heard the story of the Kokoda Track in 2004.

“That was really the catalyst that started this journey, the spirit of Kokoda,” he said.

Local teen Jordan will be taking part in the 10th anniversary event.

The 16-year-old has recently walked the length of the track, calling it was a life-changing experience.

“A year ago I was angry, upset, wouldn’t talk to anybody,” he said.

“I just had nowhere to go.”

His mother signed him up to take the challenge.

“Immediately it just changed the way I thought … now I’ve just changed my whole life,” Jordan said.

Kokoda Youth Foundation director Grant Summerfield says 

Jordan is testament to the programme’s value.

“You get to experience something so challenging, where you are so tired, where you are blistered, where you are chaffed, where you have got nothing left, but you continue on and you achieve that goal,” he said.

“You realise life isn’t always going to be easy but the reward you get is equal to the effort that you put in.”

The 2014 Gold Coast Kokoda Challenge begun at Mudgeeraba on Saturday.