The film festival was brought to Mount Isa by two former locals who now run Ultra Trail Australia, a stunning and challenging trail walk/run through the Blue Mountains, which a group of Isa walkers and runners completed this year.

Until their next trip to the mountains in May, four local runners are busy preparing for a fresh new challenge, and bringing a community along for the ride.

Bec Greaves, Alice Moncrieff, Vicki Nicholson and Vanessa Denham, are all training for Oxfam’s Brisbane Trailwalker over 100km in June, to raise money to end global poverty.

Greaves has done the Oxfam Trailwalker once before, but did not complete it because her group had to pull out for injury.

“We thought, since we have to have our fitness level up for UTA in May, why not throw this one in, too,” Greaves said.

The group has started a Facebook page called ‘It’ll be fun – Oxfam 2018’, which is open to anyone in the community who wants to join them on a training walk or several.

"We did 27km last weekend, and in January we are hoping to do the 100km overnight to Cloncurry,” Greaves said.

Tonight (Friday) happens to be their next excursion, if anyone is interested in joining, meet at The Irish Club shop car park at 7.30pm for two 7km loops of Parkside.

“Tonight we are going over the train lines and chucking a left to the dirt path behind Opal Street, then out to Old Micah Creek Road and back.

“So if anyone wants to come along, they can do the 7km and if they don’t feel like doing a second just drop off when we pass the car park,” Greaves said.

Beating the heat is key to sticking to a training schedule in Mount Isa, and Greaves said there are other benefits to late evening exercise.

“It's mainly social for us. And just trying to get whoever wants to come and walk to come and walk,” she said.

“The Oxfam Trailwalker starts on a Friday morning, and we will be walking through the night.

“For those of us training, we might have boot camp, gym, or a run in the morning, then work, kids, dinner. So by 7.30pm we are already tired, and it really gets us used to walking at night.

“Most of us have kids and they're in bed by the time we head out the door, so it also means you’re not missing out on time with family,” Greaves said.

For updates on where and when the walks are happening, search for ‘It’ll Be Fun – Oxfam 2018’ on Facebook and give them a ‘like’.