STRYDE4 Day

STRYDE4 Day

What do trivia, an ice bath and pickleball have in common? They’re part of the Beaches new charity fund-raising walk, STRYDE4 Day

The Beaches are set to host a fundraising event on Tuesday 19 May, the likes of which have not been seen before, when STRYDE4 Day arrives in Manly.

The brainchild of Beacon Hill local, Geoff Coombes, the day will see participants take a walk from Keirle Park, Manly, to Curl Curl lagoon, stopping at activation zones along the way, which include more than 15 activities such as ice-bath dips, silent disco on the beach, a scavenger hunt, bucket golf and pickleball. The walk will conclude at the Harbord Diggers in Freshwater.

All money raised from the event will go to around 30 local charities, including AYAH, Bear Cottage, LocalKind and the Women’s Resilience Project.

Geoff has more than two decades of experience in the not-for-profit space, and was a co-founder of Tour de Cure, the successful cancer charity fundraiser which has been running for 20 years.

His latest venture, STRYDE4 day, was inspired by an Australian game show called Wipeout, where contestants battle the world’s biggest obstacle course. Geoff was on the very first episode of the show in 2007, which was filmed in Argentina. “I was looking for a way to make (the event) inclusive, immersive and fun,” Geoff says, adding he wanted to find creative ways to help people to connect. “We are all human, we do want to laugh and feel a sense of purpose.” STRYDE4 already occurs in cities across Australia.

Workplace teams, schools, charity representatives and community members are all invited to attend. Participants register and are then asked to select the charity they would like to support with fundraising. On the day, charity representatives also get involved, either as participants or by helping with the activation stations.

Geoff says STRYDE4 is about ‘creating a community of people aligned to wellbeing, focused on giving and connection and helping lots of different causes.’ STRYDE4 Days have already been successfully held in Melbourne. “We have six different sectors that we help: mental health, cancer, Indigenous, disability, families and the environment, which wraps up almost every charity,” he says. “We just want to help all these great charities do what they do.”

Each charity nominates a $10,000 high-impact project they want to stride for. “And together we raise the funds to help these projects come to life,” Geoff says.

Local Beaches schools have been invited to participate, with Geoff adding it gives children an opportunity to learn about ‘impact and community.’

While this year organisers are expecting around 750 to 1,000 people, Geoff hopes that as the event becomes an annual one, it will build up to around 3,000 to 5,000 participants in years to come.