By THE PENTLAND Hills outside Bacchus Marsh present themselves as a formidable challenge for Treahna Herbertson in her roller skates.
Ms Herbertson said that at least she knew a bit of what to expect, unlike a few friends from Wodonga who were planning to put on their skates and ride with her.
Why walk, run, or ride when you could try something completely different was Ms Herbertson’s theory as she prepared to rollerblade from Melbourne to Lexton later this year.
The original idea was to skate from Wodonga, where Ms Herbertson lives, to her hometown of Lexton, but the prospect of at least 400 kilometers seemed a bit too great.
And the mission has changed a bit too.
Before the pandemic, the role was to honor Ms Herbertson’s mother who died of cancer 10 years ago. Now, Ms. Herbertson will also be mobilizing to raise awareness about autoimmune diseases after being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease in August.
Insomnia, “brain fog,” muscle fatigue, hair loss, and dry skin are some of the symptoms Ms. Herbertson experiences with Hasimoto, an underactive thyroid disease. Ms. Herbertson wants to encourage people to continue to persevere in finding which complementary medications and treatments work best for them, as there were different symptoms for different people.
She wants to document the good, the bad and the ugly in the months leading up to her November trip on her social media channel Herbie’s Warriors. At least Ms. Herbertson wants to try to get people talking and be more aware of their bodies.
There is also the good, the bad and a little ugly in his training.
Ms Herbertson hasn’t rollerbladed since she was a child (her mother taught her to skate), but she was taken under the tutelage of Wodonga-based roller derby company Murray River Derby Dames. She relies on skills like stopping and falling without seriously injuring herself.
New skates were also needed.
It’s a real mind game there. I would skate and see on the road there is a rock but it would appear to be a huge boulder.
Treahna Herbertson
“It’s a real mind game there. I would skate and see on the road that there is a rock, but it would appear to be a huge boulder and I would figure out how to get around it,†Ms. Herbertson said.
“People can join me along the way as long as they are on human wheels – bikes, skateboards, scooters or rollerblades.
“The Pentland Hills will be interesting. I know what they look like, but a few of my friends are coming with me, I could wait a little longer to show them.”
Ms Herbertson’s final plans are awaiting approval from Vic Roads, but she was allowed seven days to complete the approximately 220-kilometer rollathon in November, but hoped to complete it within five days. She hoped to have a better measure of time as training continued.
roller skate from Melbourne in Ballarat to her hometown of Lexton in November. Photo: James Wiltshire” title=”GET ROLLING: Treahna Herbertson is getting ready in Wodonga to roller skate from Melbourne in Ballarat to her hometown of Lexton in November. Photo: James Wiltshire” width=”4011″ height=”2674″ itemprop=”image”/>GET ROLLING: Treahna Herbertson is getting ready in Wodonga to roller skate from Melbourne in Ballarat to her hometown of Lexton in November. Photo: James Wiltshire
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