Cure Kids fundraising kicks off for 2016 race

Cure Kids was established over 35 years ago to address the lack of research into life-threatening childhood illnesses in New Zealand, and we think it's a fantastic charity to be involved with.

At the fundraising kick-off for our 2016 race participation, a presentation from Cure Kids' Research and Innovation Director Tim Edmonds shared some the work Cure Kids is involved in, why it's important, and some of the impact the charity has achieved. Thanks to the pioneering work funded by Cure Kids in the 1990s, for example, the rate of cot death in NZ has dropped from a peak of 260 a year to less than 50.

We also heard from Alan Moore about race participation (check out last year's adventure race blog for a reminder of what the racers get up to - it's a serious challenge!), and caught up on fundraising activities planned - including strawberry sales, another international lunch, charity auctions, Pie Me! and more. Then it was time for a delicious barbecue lunch.

What you can't see in that photo is the steaming plate of vegetarian food, prompting a visit from the fire service. Luckily they are handily located, and the temporary evacuation didn't delay lunch too much.

We'll post regular updates from our Cure Kids fundraising activities and race team training between now and race day - follow us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn to hear the latest. And if you would like to make a donation now, visit our fundraising page.

Thanks to Jeff Wogen and Ivor Whibley for the photos used in this post.