Great Walks spoke to a number of people who have walked the Kokoda Trail and they all said the same thing – if you give yourself the time to train you'll enjoy the walk a lot more.
"We did three sessions a week for eight weeks carrying a pack with a sandbag and water. The training was tough but necessary. I remember during the first week of training thinking 'what the hell am I doing here?' but by the time we got to the track we were well prepared." (Shaun Guyatt, Lutwyche, Qld)
"Eight weeks' solid training of at least three days a week was only just enough training. Whilst I made it through the Kokoda Trail with only very minor problems, I would set that amount of training as a minimum benchmark for anyone embarking on the trail. Our training had a combination of gym sessions as well as trekking local hills in Brisbane with weighted packs, which was a great idea." (Dave Warner, Kedron, Qld)
"The pre-trip training made us appreciate how important it was to know your fitness level. I weigh 85kg, and I'm sorry I didn't work a bit harder in the months before the trek to get about 7kg off. It would have made a difference." (John Newbery, Coogee, NSW)
Okay, so where to from here?
Better safe than sorry
Before you go any further it'll be a prerequisite from your tour operator that you get a medical check-up from your local GP. There's good reason for this. In the last eight years, five Australians have died on the Kokoda Trail and up to 50 trekkers a year are airlifted out by medivac due to injury, exhaustion or an ailment.
"I know of three potential trekkers who have been found to have serious coronary artery disease in their pre-trek assessment, "says Dr Sean Rothwell of non-for-profit organisation Adventure Medicine.
"Doctors are primarily looking for cardiovascular fitness. This would involve a history of training and exercise, examination and also some investigations. We recommend an electrocardiogram in those under 40 and a stress echocardiogram in those over 40. A doctor would also assess any predisposition to injury (e.g. back, knee problems) and arrange for the appropriate immunisations.”
Let the training begin
"Trekkers should focus on getting generally fit then focus on strengthening their legs, mainly quads and calves," says Wayne Wetherall, managing director of tour operator Kokoda Spirit. "Trekkers need to also focus on strengthening their heart and lung capacity. Lots of hills, hills, stairs and more hills are needed. Mixing up short sharp hill training with longer endurance walks will put them in good stead. Finding rough terrain to walk on will help with balance and strengthen ankles and knees," he says.
Glenn Azar, director of Adventure Professionals, says: “You need to get all of the training done to ensure you have the best chance of not only making it through the track but also of enjoying the journey once you're over there. You don't want to spend the whole time looking at your feet just hoping to get through the day. It's an amazing journey through some physically and emotionally challenging ground and you want to be as fit as possible to enjoy the journey as much as possible."
12-week training schedule
Most Kokoda tour operators will say you need a minimum of three months to train for the walk. Often enough once you've registered to walk with a specific tour company they will provide you with loads of info about training and preparing for the walk. Many training programs (like the example below) will be designed for people who do little exercise and need to build up their strength and stamina from scratch.
People who exercise regularly can move straight to the more intense part of the training program. You'll notice on this schedule that each week is made up of three or four days of training. These days can been divided up over the course of the week, so maybe you'll train for two days and rest for one.
Stage 1: Preparation Phase – 4 weeks
The aim of this phase is to develop a basic level of fitness that will allow you to move into more strenuous and physically demanding activities. It starts off intentionally quite easy and is suited to people of low fitness levels or those with an injury. Initially you must walk at a slow pace until your body gets used to exercise.
Week 1
- Day 1: Slow easy walk along flat ground for 30-45min/3-5km
- Day 2: As above; 3-5km
- Day 3: Slow easy walk along flat ground for 45min-1hr
Week 2 (with trekking boots)
- Day 1: Slightly faster walk along flat ground for 45min-1hr/4-6km
- Day 2: Same as above; 4-6km (carry small daypack, 5kg)
- Day 3: Slightly faster walk along flat ground for 1hr-1½ hr; (daypack & 5kg)
Week 3
- Day 1: Increase the intensity of the 1½ hr walk by walking up hills or stairs (5kg + 2L water)
- Day 2: Same as above
- Day 3: Slightly faster walk up the hills or stairs (5kg + water)
Week 4
- Day 1: Wear a small daypack with 8kg during your 2hr hill or stair walk
- Day 2: Same as above
- Day 3: Increase the intensity by completing your above walk in less time
Stage 2: Build-up Phase – 4 weeks
Week 5
- Day 1: Hill, stair walk for 2hr
- Day 2: Increase pack weight to 10kg (or 2-3kg more than what has been carried), repeat above
- Day 3: 2hr walk with pack; 8km
- Day 4: Easy, long slow walk, 3hr, 10km+
Week 6
- Day 1: Hill, stair walk, 2hr, with pack
- Day 2: Power walk on flat, 5km, 10kg pack
- Day 3: Hills, faster pace, 2hr
- Day 4: Easy, long slow walk with slightly heavier pack; 10-12km
Week 7
- Day 1: Footy oval, “lunge” ¼ oval then walk to complete lap; repeat 4 laps
- Day 2: Hill walk, 2hr with pack
- Day 3: Hills, faster pace with 10kg
- Day 4: Power walk, 7km with pack
Week 8
- Day 1: Hills; up and down, 2½ hr with pack
- Day 2: Footy oval “lunges”; ½ oval then fast walk to complete lap, repeat 5 times
- Day 3: Hill walks with pack, increase length by 15%
- Day 4: Long walk; medium difficulty; 5hr with 2kg increase in pack weight
Stage 3: Consolidation Phase – 4 weeks
Week 9
- Day 1: Hill walks with pack, decrease time taken for route
- Day 2: Hill walk, increase pack weight 2-3kg; as above
- Day 3: Hill walk, increase length of walk
- Day 4: Long walk with pack, 6-8hr
Week 10
- Day 1: Oval lunges, ½ lap, and then fast walk to complete lap; repeat 6 times
- Day 2: Hill walk, decrease time taken for route
- Day 3: Hill walk, increase pack weight 2-3kg
- Day 4: Long walk with pack, 8hr
Week 11
- Day 1: As for week 10 except 7 circuits
- Day 2: As for week 10
- Day 3: As for week 10
- Day 4: Long walk, with pack, increase weight by 2-3kg
Week 12
- Day 1: Moderate walk 5 -7km with pack
- Day 2: Moderate walk 5-7km with pack
- Day 3: Moderate walk 5-7km with pack
- One or two days' rest prior to leaving for PNG.