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Report by Barcelona GSE Trailwalker team member Sebastián Alvarez Schlegel '19 (Finance)

The Trailwalker was a full experience for us. From raising the money to walking the 100K. There were a few moments that we really put all our efforts to make it happen. One of them was the party we organized. We were surprised of how much support we received from all our fellow students and the big party we had going in Sal Café. Thanks to that, we collected half the money we needed.

But still was difficult to collect the other half far away from the people we knew best. A few weeks before the Trailwalker, we were all calling our friends back home to ask for any donation, until we made the €1500 one week before, just after finishing exams! But we made it, with the next challenge just around the corner.

We arrived to Olot at midnight the night before, after having problems with the car in Barcelona, so we went right to bed. But that didn't stopped Chiara from waking up at 6am to stretch a little bit and wake everybody up. After eating breakfast (almost a kilo of oats for Gianluca) and preparing all the tape, vaseline, extra clothes, camel bags, walking sticks... we were late and started as the last team. But after a few kilometers we were already in a good position and reached the main group. After the whole day walking, we arrived to Girona and we received the best massages ever. Then, during the night we went singing some reggaeton and other Italian trap songs. And in every stop there was Tabitha and Aurora waiting for us with soup, food, and ready to help us with anything we needed. Until the morning came and the goal was closer. Pablo took the lead for some kilometers and motivated us to continue, even if he had a sore knee. Finally, we arrived to Sant Feliu de Guíxols and crossed the line all together, finishing in 28hrs and 21mins.

The Trailwalker is an amazing experience for us coming from abroad. It was a different way of discovering Catalunya and its landscapes. It is also a way of helping other people in situations most of us not even imagine. We made a few kilometers once, but we will always remember that just for water, Ethiopian women walk 10K per day.

Barcelona GSE Oxfam Trailwalker 2019 "Not Fast Just Furious" Team Members

• Sebastian Alvarez Schlegel '19 (Finance)
• Pablo Escobedo '19 (Finance)
• Aurora Folache
• Gianluca Guerzoni '19 (ITFD)
• Tabitha Ngugi '19 (Economics)
• Chiara Toietta '19 (Economics)