What could possess someone to walk six marathons in six years? A (really) good cause. <\/strong><\/p>\n Turns out, that\u2019s precisely what the Blue Dragon Marathon Walk<\/a> is. We sat down with Intrepid\u2019s co-founder, Darrell Wade, to get the inside scoop on the event and why he\u2019s walked more than 200 km for it over the years.<\/p>\n As Intrepid\u2019s co-founder, it\u2019s no secret that Darrell is a big-time advocate for giving back. After all, he and his good mate, Geoff \u2018Manch\u2019 Manchester, founded the company on the proviso that they\u2019d be showing travellers a new way of seeing the world and supporting the people and places they visited while they were at it. In fact, Darrell and Manch were giving to local charities before the company was even turning a profit.\u00a0<\/p>\n But our co-founder has really put his money where his mouth is (or should that be feet?) for the Blue Dragon Marathon Walk. He\u2019s single-handedly (single-footedly?) raised almost AUD 30,000 for the Blue Dragon Children\u2019s Foundation<\/a> by pulling on his walking shoes and popping on his fundraising hat for the marathon.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Blue Dragon Marathon Walk is an annual event supported by Intrepid\u2019s not-for-profit, the Intrepid Foundation<\/a>. With no sign-up fees or geographical limits, the walk attracts hundreds of people around the world each year to take on the marathon (or any distance that challenges them) to raise money for Intrepid Foundation partner, Blue Dragon Children\u2019s Foundation. With Intrepid covering the admin costs, all donations go directly to helping them fight human trafficking, care for survivors and their families and to uplift communities out of poverty in Vietnam<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n I\u2019ve seen the work of Blue Dragon Children\u2019s Foundation on the ground in Hanoi and the more I have to do with the organisation, the more impressed I become. They\u2019ve grown over the years and so has their impact \u2013 they get real results and really do change the lives of human trafficking survivors and their families.\u00a0<\/p>\n At a simple level, the dollars raised are critical for the ongoing work of the organisation. If we don\u2019t walk and raise funds then their work is curtailed \u2013 simple as that. The thing I love about raising funds for Blue Dragon is the sheer impact you can have. Rescuing and rehabilitating someone from human trafficking takes about AUD 1000. It\u2019s not often you can make a really dramatic positive impact on someone\u2019s life, but I feel by walking this marathon and raising some money we can do just that.\u00a0<\/p>\n Vietnam was one of the first countries we ran trips in<\/a>.\u00a0I\u2019d heard that Vietnam was opening up in 1992 and so put out a press release to see if anyone wanted to\u00a0visit and the response was tremendous. Through the goodwill of our leaders, travellers and the local communities the tours were a success. I think we\u2019ve felt a certain connection to Vietnam ever since, and it\u2019s still one of our most popular destinations today.\u00a0<\/p>\n Intrepid has always been about having a purpose that is greater than the business itself.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n Intrepid has always been about having a purpose that is greater than the business itself. We want to build bridges between cultures and give back to the communities we travel to. We formed the Intrepid Foundation in 2002 as an extension of this philosophy. Activities like the Blue Dragon Marathon Walk are a perfect example of how we can help create an outcome that is far bigger than Intrepid (the business) could achieve on its own. And that\u2019s incredibly rewarding for us all.\u00a0<\/p>\n People walk different lengths, from the 10 km mini marathon, to the half marathon, to the full 42 km version that I do. I like it to be a challenge each year so do the full walk which is both fun and rewarding.\u00a0<\/p>\n I walk a fair bit in my everyday life anyway, so I don\u2019t really bother with training. Having said that, I like to do one 20+ km walk in preparation just in case I\u2019ve fallen out of form. In terms of tips \u2013 carry as little with you as possible and walk at your own pace. Headphones are a good idea when you want a break or need to find your rhythm. \u00a0<\/p>\n I\u2019d like to raise AUD 5000 which \u2013 amazingly \u2013 is enough to build a small house and provide support for a family. This is absolutely transformative as it allows them to grow vegetables and even have some chickens so they can sell the eggs!\u00a0<\/p>\n It never hurts to consider just how fortunate we are in life \u2013 and then do something positive for those that haven\u2019t been as lucky. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n My main message is have a go! Either donate<\/a> to someone who is walking (like me) or buckle up your boots and get walking yourself.<\/a> You\u2019ll have a great day and also get a great feeling from helping people who really do need us. It never hurts to consider just how fortunate we are in life \u2013 and then do something positive for those that haven\u2019t been as lucky. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Feeling inspired? Sign up to join<\/a> this year\u2019s marathon on Sunday 10 September<\/strong>. Not a walker? Contribute without breaking a sweat by making a donation<\/a> or supporting someone else\u2019s fundraising goals. You can even help Darrell hit that AUD 5000 target<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What could possess someone to walk six marathons in six years? A (really) good cause. Turns out, that\u2019s precisely what the Blue Dragon Marathon Walk is. We sat down with Intrepid\u2019s co-founder, Darrell Wade, to get the inside scoop on the event and why he\u2019s walked more than 200 km for it over the years. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":189727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11760],"tags":[6487,22184,36324,9338,586,1003],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-189726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventure","tag-6th","tag-cofounder","tag-intrepid","tag-marathon","tag-walking","tag-years"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Blue Dragon Marathon Walk\u00a0\u2013 10 September 2023<\/h2>\n
Darrell, you\u2019ve walked a marathon every year for the past five years \u2013 that\u2019s a pretty impressive feat. What makes you so passionate about this cause?\u00a0<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/2305301355-BDMW-2023-QnA-images-1-edited-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/The-Intrepid-Foundation-BD_Darrell-Michael-1.jpg\")
<\/a>What makes the Blue Dragon Marathon Walk so important?\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Can you tell me more about the connection Intrepid has to Vietnam?\u00a0<\/h2>\n
What does it mean to you, as a co-founder of Intrepid, to support this kind of work through the Intrepid Foundation?\u00a0<\/h2>\n
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What do you enjoy most about the walk?\u00a0<\/h2>\n
How do you prepare for the walk each year? Do you have any one piece of advice for anyone who\u2019s signed up in 2023?\u00a0<\/h2>\n
What\u2019s your fundraising goal for the walk this year? \u00a0<\/h2>\n
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What would you like to tell anyone who\u2019s thinking of joining this year\u2019s walk?\u00a0<\/h2>\n