Marathon ride for prostate cancer

As part of Blue September, PlaceMakers Invercargill raised close to $70,000 at the fourth running of the bi-annual Southern Scooter Challenge

On a fresh September morning, more than 100 hearty souls set out from Bluff  for Queenstown astride 50cc scooters to raise money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

Co-organiser Tash Buckley says this year’s challenge was the best since the inaugural event in 2010.

“We’re over the moon with it! We thought it might get smaller, because it’s the fourth time we’ve done it, but it’s been the exact opposite,” she says. “We raised just under $70,000, with donations still coming in. Hopefully it’s just going to continue to grow.

“The weather was also really surprising this year. We had rain and hail either side, but it was brilliant on the day!”
“Our branch operator Alister Rance was originally inspired by the Tranz Alpine scooter run, which goes from Christchurch to Hokitika,” Tash explains.

The 220km journey took close to eight hours, with average speeds ranging from 40km/h to 65km/h on the downhills. There was also a special appearance from All Black great and Blue September ambassador Buck Shelford, who made the uncomfortable adjustment from a Harley Davidson to a scooter.

“My knees are right up underneath my hands,” Buck joked during a lunchtime stop at Lumsden.

During the break, he added $800 to the kitty by shaving Southland District Mayor Gary Tong’s moustache off. While the day featured a number of different stops, and has a fun focus with themed uniforms and scooters, Tash says road safety is a priority.

“We’ve had no incidents or accidents. I am quite strict on the rules, because you’ve got to be wary of other traffic,” she says.

To encourage compliance, fines are dished out to anyone caught breaking the rules on the road, with the money also going towards the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

Tash says they’re planning on making some changes in 2017, and they’re hoping that Buck will be back.

“He said he loved it, even though being on a small scooter was a bit of a shock to his system!”