Having already conquered the dizzying heights of the Mount Everest Base Camp, Mount Kilimanjaro and The Sandakan Death March in Borneo as well as the Kokoda Track, a crew representing the Mark Hughes Foundation is setting off on another gruelling challenge - a trek through the Top End of Australia.
Thirty-one people will test their body, mind and spirit from Saturday as they ride 400km, hike more than 35km and paddle over 16km through the vast and beautiful Kakadu, Katherine Gorge, Jatbula and Litchfield National Parks to help in the fight against brain cancer.
The group will be tested to the limit mentally and physically in extreme heat, but nothing like what brain cancer patients and their families go through.
Funds raised on the Top End Trek will go to the crucial funding of brain cancer care coordinators in the Hunter New England and Mid North Coast regions.
MHF funds four brain cancer co-ordinators, with the ongoing cost to continue funding these positions in excess of $1 million over three years. Two positions are up for renewal at a cost of $450,000.
Among this year's trekkers are ex-Knights players Mark Hughes and Brad Godden, who have completed all four treks to date, along with Paul 'The Chief' Harragon and Bill Peden, who initially came up with the idea five years ago after a Christmas Day conversation.
"The MHF treks have been going for four years and in that time the various groups of trekkers have already raised an incredible $1.6 million," MHF founder Mark Hughes said.
"Obviously COVID forced us to think more locally and we have decided to take on the harshness of the Northern Territory for our next adventure.
"The best thing about every trek is what we not only learn about ourselves by pushing our bodies and minds to the limit, but what we learn about the journeys of others in the group. It brings people together, which is the true essence of MHF.
"In the regional areas, once brain cancer patients get home they often struggle, along with their families, without the expert assistance of a brain cancer care nurse that city patients are lucky enough to have. We are extremely proud of these positions and know our nurses are seen as a source of strength and hope to those going through the toughest of times."
Paul Harragon, a MHF ambassador, said the prospect of the trek was exciting.
"We are on the cusp of a very tough challenge, and I know that we are ready to give our best and carry the spirit of all those who have fought brain cancer," he said.
