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We did it!!!
The Team Finnan's Gift Hub
2019 Race Day Logistics
Your Fundraising Page Link
Over the last month, a system change at the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation has meant that all fundraising links have been slightly changed. As you prepare to put your fundraising page link up on social media or circulate an email asking friends, family, and colleagues to donate, please note that your original page link will need to be edited - changing the numerals from ‘2019' to ‘2020'. OR to make it easy, click this link: http://rchfoundation.com.au/event/Teamfinnansgift2020 to go to the Everyday Hero Team Finnan’s Gift fundraising page, then find your personal/team page and just grab your updated link. Apologies for this inconvenience, but we really want to make sure you send out an active link :)
Event Bib/Race Number
Please make sure you have a plan to get your event bib/race number prior to race day (you can’t get it on the day). You will have selected either to receive it in the mail or to pick it up from the race office. Click here for the official race office link, with location and time details.
Team HQ & Transporation Tips
Across the team we have many people walking/running different distances, so everybody is preparing in their own way. On the day, we will have lots of great support at Team Finnan’s Gift HQ - from private toilets, to coffee, room to stretch/warm-up, fruit and candy, a place to leave your bags and a dry warm clean happy environment to hang! Everyone that is signed up has their name on the door and we will be giving out Team T-Shirts to fundraisers (those who've raised $250+) on the day.
We will be at the Collingwood FC Glasshouse Cafe at 6:00am (Map Below, the entrance is just near the pedestrian lights on Olympic Blvd), which places us approximately 50M from the start line. Please arrive early so you can relax and gear up, and we strongly encourage you/your family to use public transport as there's barely any parking in the area and many roads will be closed. For more event race day information (including start times for each distance), click on this official Melbourne Marathon information link.
Your Race Day Must-Haves List
We want all Team Finnan's Gift members to come prepared so you can all enjoy race day to the fullest! Here is our list of ‘must-haves’:
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Loose over-shirt and/or rain cover
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Bib number with four small safety pins to secure it
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Music — don't forget to charge your device
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Running watch/fitband if you have one — so you can log all those steps!
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Vaseline, friction cream and/or bandaids, if you have any blisters
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Strapping tape and/or supports if required
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Energy drinks, water, gels, cut fruit, or jelly beans
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Asthma inhaler or any other personal medical aids
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Extra clothing, a hat, and sunscreen
Finally, look after yourself over these last few days. Hydrate, rest, stretch, get lots of sleep, eat well and visualise your amazingness come race day!
If you have any other questions, then head over to the FAQ section of the Melbourne Marathon Festival's official website. If you’re still stuck, please let us know and we’ll try our best to help!
We're Fundraising for a CardioHELP Mobile Heart/Lung Machine!
This year Finnan’s Gift is committed to buying the first-ever Cardiohelp machine for the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne (RCH). Cardiohelp is a purpose-built, mobile heart-lung ECMO machine used to transport critically ill cardiac patients safely from regional hospitals throughout Australia back to the RCH for expert care. Over the last 19 years since the RCH started performing inter-hospital transport, there has been no specific machine to assist with these precarious and time-consuming transfers (some taking as long as 23 hours for a return trip).
While there have been recent developments, these trips are still using equipment designed for in-hospital use, which create weight and logistic based challenges for the doctors on board, but most seriously, do not utilise cutting edge technologies and can potentially compromise a patient mid-air, where alternate resources are non-existent.
Finnan’s Gift could not be more delighted to fundraise for a world-class, custom-built CardioHelp machine - a compact and portable heart-lung machine which has been specifically designed for transporting cardiac patients requiring life-saving respiratory and circulatory support.
“Having an unwell child is one of the most stressful experiences a parent can go through! When we heard that there was a way to reduce the risk and stress of transporting a child to the RCH to receive world-class cardiac treatment, we jumped at the opportunity” said Alisa Camplin-Warner.
“The added bonus of our 2020 grant is that we are able to reach out and improve care for sick children and their families from all around Australia, while still delivering a cutting edge piece of technology to the RCH” added Oliver Camplin-Warner.
Finnan’s Gift is asking for all their supporters to help fundraise the $150,000 required for the CardioHelp machine. Whether you’d like to run in our Melbourne Marathon team, host your own event, or donate directly, every little bit counts in helping to mend broken hearts across Australia.
The TFG Resource Center
Previous Articles
Spotify Playlists for Runners
Olympic long-distance runner Craig Mottram gives us a few tips!
“Hi runners, walkers and all members of Team Finnan’s Gift! Hope your training is going well, with just over 2 months to go Oliver and Alisa asked if I could provide my top tips to hopefully help you all get ready for the big day! So here goes…
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Don’t change your diet in the weeks before the race. Your body is already in a routine, any big changes will upset your rhythm and potentially upset your tummy. You have trained hard on your current diet and trained well, so no need to change it now!
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Hydration is important. To hydrate properly takes time. Consider your fluid intake over the week prior to the start. Simple things like carrying a water bottle with sports drink or water during the day will remind you to drink constantly throughout this process. Small drinks and often in the lead up to a marathon are key. Don't cram the day before, you will be up all night going to the loo and your likely to get a stitch during the event.
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Training should begin to back off in the 2 weeks before race start. Be confident that the work you have done will stand you in good stead. You are fit and ready, don't try to get fitter in the last days of your preparation, relax and remind yourself of the work you have done. AND, don't forget to enjoy the experience. Once you’re out there you will love it!!
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Remember to raise as much money as possible for Finnan’s Gift - running for such a good cause will definitely make the whole day so much more enjoyable and help those kilometres fly-by!