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“Sharks, crocodiles, wipeouts, it’s all part of it. It was never going to be easy. It’s a highly ambitious project, no one has kitesurfed this part of the Barrier Reef before.” - Kite the Reef co-ordinator Alex Unsworth

MyNetFone is proudly sponsoring 'Kite the Reef' - a record breaking kitesurfing expedition, comprised of 10 members who are attempting to kitesurf 1,000km to raise money for Motor Neuron Disease. The Kite the Reef team have so far traversed over 850km, been involved in shark attacks, supported by Sir Richard Branson, and had the event pre-approved by the Guinness World Records!

Here’s a few facts about the kitesurfing journey:

• The team are already over 850km down, and are on track to reach their 1000km goal today – you can follow their progress via the live GPS
• When they complete the journey the team will make it into the Guinness World Records and hold the longest kitesurf journey record. In fact they have already shot through the existing record of 830km.
• Fundraising for the Kite The Reef's MND cause has so far received $88,000! Well done team! There is still time for donations, so hopefully that figure is still to climb. 
• Jess Digs, a member of the team, has now broken the female world record for the longest continuous kite surf journey. 
• Sir Richard Branson, is backing the Kite the Reef crew and wrote a personal article about it - read Richard Branson's post 
• A shark attacks one of the kitesurfers on the journey and takes a bite of her iPhone - read the news article

Today is the predicted D-Day for the crew, expecting to reach their 1000km goal. Nature has sure thrown some spanners in the works for the team, supplying setbacks due to a lack of wind on their first day, shark attacks, and delivering a wipeout so fierce it broke trip co-ordinator Alex Unsworth’s leg and four places and pulled him out of the expedition.

Natural forces, world records, celebrity endorsement and safety threats have all been part of this inspiring MND fundraising journey for the team, who have remain unshaken in the midst of it all.

Good luck reaching your 1000km goal today Kite the Reef team! You have truly inspired us with your humility and tenacity, MyNetFone is proud to support you and the cause you are fundraising for.

There is still time to donate…click the link here

MyNetFone is proud to again be supporting the Kitesurfing crew in their most recent, and record breaking expedition ‘Kite the Reef’. Previously MyNetFone has supported the kitesurf team in their ‘Pink Torres’ expedition, which raised funds for the McGrath Foundation, a foundation which supports over 20,000 Australian families experiencing breast cancer. We are proud to be backing the kite surfing crew again, this time with an entirely new mission at heart.

The expedition

Kite the Reef is aiming to raise funds to cure Motor Neurone Disease (MND), through supporting the Macquarie University Motor Neurone Disease Research Centre. The expedition team made up of 10 ambitious kitesurfers which will attempt to traverses 1,000km of the Great Barrier Reef, covering Cairns to Cape York. To achieve this world record breaking kiteboarding distance the team will have to tire their arms for around 7-10 hours each day for 10 day straight!

Conservation

They will not only be aiming to raise funds to help fight Motor Neurone Disease, but they will also be doing their part for conservation; tagging tiger sharks and raising awareness for Great Barrier Reef. As the reef's ecosystem and beauty is under threat from coastal development, reduced water quality, overfishing, climate change and large scale mining activities, the team has decided to use this opportunity to showcase it's wonders and increase international appreciation.

MND

Kicking off on August 10^th, the 'Kite the Reef' team will be attempting to tackle this huge distance and big issues, but will need all the support they can get. Every single dollar raised goes to fund MND research (equipment, regents, researcher salaries) to understand and hopefully find a cure for Motor Neurone Disease. Recent advancements mean scientists could be on the verge of finding a treatment but, equipment and genome sequencing needs funding. 

Updates to follow

We will keep you posted as the kite surfers send photos and videos of their journey, the beautiful coastal life they are bound to encounter and their attempts to tag tiger sharks on the way. No doubt their drive to help fight this life altering disease will see their jelly arms take them over the finish line at Cape York on the 20th August. Good luck to the Kite the Reef team!

Read more about it on their website or visit the Kite the Reef facebook page

Donate to this fantastic cause, support the team & help the put an end to MND!