Those circling Forbury Park Raceway walked so others could follow in their footsteps.
At least 30 people hit the sandy course at yesterday’s Walk For Kids to raise money for life-changing technology that allows children with severe mobility issues to walk.
Organiser and Lions mobility and community health chairwoman Ella Butson said all the cash raised by the event would be used to fund hands-free walking aids called "Hart Walkers".
She said the made-to-measure frames allowed children with cerebral palsy and other disorders the opportunity to "play alongside their peers".
Each walker, which can comprise up to 1000 working parts, costs $9850 per child because they are sent over from England and fitted to the wearer’s unique measurements.
Those at the event aimed to clock up 10km with 10 laps of the track but few took to the task with as much enthusiasm as 15-year-old Eddie Gardner.
The ODT yesterday caught the Bayfield High School pupil having a swig of water between laps.
The teenager, who has cerebral palsy, said he was there to raise money for people who could not walk as well as him.
Assisted by a frame, there was no stopping him, his mother, Emily Gardner, said.
"He’s done a bit of sprinting but he’s pacing himself," she said.
As far as sport went, walking was not a patch on Eddie’s favourite.
"I love rugby," he said.
"Loved it since the 2011 World Cup."
The teenager admitted he was eyeing up a rugby ball on the raffle nearby, too.
The walk in Dunedin was one of many taking place around the country — Tekapo, Oamaru, Invercargill and Gore all hosted their own, Ms Butson said.
In the past, families had had to wait months to get a Hart Walker through Lions funding but the plan was to make that process much faster.
She said six Dunedin children were using the high-tech frame and another three would, hopefully, get one in the next year.
