Mobico Heart Kids Adventure Racing Team helps Heart Kids

Mobico Heart Kids Adventure Racing Team helps Heart Kids fight lifelong battle

Racing 500kms in the back country non-stop for seven days sounds like any ordinary person’s idea of hell.

But not for Christchurch locals Rupert MacLachlan, Richard Dove, Karen Muller and Hedley Wilton. They will be doing just that on 2-9 April by competing in GODZone Adventure Race to help raise some serious money for Heart Kids, a cause close to the heart of team captain Rupert.

Rupert’s son Mitchell was one of 12 babies born with a congenital heart defect (CHD) every week in New Zealand. Born seemingly healthy, Mitch was subsequently diagnosed with a hole in the heart that required surgical intervention. At 18 months of age, Mitch received an open-heart surgery to repair his heart condition. Heart Kids were there to provide the support needed by the family during these stressful times.

The MacLachlans thought their journey would not have been the same without Heart Kids’ support. Rupert said, “The Heart Kids crew were there beside us every step of the way throughout Mitch’s heart journey - the support at the hospital, the phone calls around the time of his operations and the Murmurs Coffee groups to connect us with other heart families in Christchurch.”

Dubbed the world’s toughest and technically most challenging expedition race, GODZone requires teams to navigate, trek, mountain bike, kayak and canoe over a vast array of different landscapes within a certain time limit. This year, the race will be held in the Tasman Region and the Mobico Heart Kids Adventure Racing Team will be seen travelling an unmarked course of approximately 500kms for up to seven days.

The event is costly to participate in and to train for. Rupert secured sponsorship from NZ owned specialist IT company Mobico. Supplying and supporting rugged scanners, Mobico supports the heart of the NZ supply chain. These devices are used in transport, retail, food production, manufacturing and Government all over NZ to track goods and maintain assets. The people at Mobico were touched by Rupert’s story and were impressed by his team’s tenacity. “We wanted to help Rupert and Heart Kids” says Aldas Palubinskas of Mobico, “and get in behind them to help them successfully compete and promote Heart Kids.”

It’s going to be a tough race, and the team will be challenged both physically and mentally to the extreme in those few days but the team is unfazed.

“We know we will be exhausted and sleep-deprived after the race but the challenges we face are only temporary and they are nothing compared to those facing our brave heart kids, their challenges are lifelong.”

The goal of Mobico Heart Kids Adventure Racing Team is to finish the full course and raise $100,000 for Heart Kids NZ and the local branch Heart Kids Canterbury. The team has raised $15,240 so far from donations and fundraising events.

Rob Lutter, CEO of Heart Kids said, “Every year about 450 open-heart surgeries are performed on little hearts, some just hours old. These heart kids and their families need help not just in the operating theatre but throughout their lives. We are grateful to the Mobico Heart Kids Adventure Racing Team for committing to this epic challenge to help Heart Kids provide the support our little hearts need to fight their lifelong battle.”

To support Mobico Heart Kids Adventure Racing Team’s mission, visit: https://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/mobicoheartkidsadventureracingteam

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