Kevin defies back pain to Run for the Kids

“I did the first Run for the Kids in 2006, and then I think I did about seven or eight in a row,” Kevin said.

Kevin’s participation was interrupted by the pandemic and serious health issues.

“I was intending to do it in 2020, but it was cancelled, and then 2021 was cancelled as well,” he said.

“I didn't do 2022 because I wasn’t ready for it to be uncancelled.”

In 2023, he ran alongside his sons Stephen and David, but missed the following two years due to severe back problems.

“In the second half of 2023, I had massive back issues,” Kevin said.

“I was in excruciating pain, which led to me having a very bad car accident.

“I have had a lot of scans, and they have found all sorts of things wrong with my back that can't be fixed, only managed.”

Despite the ongoing pain, Kevin was determined to return to the event.

“Once I started getting my back managed, I started running again and halfway through last year I declared that if my back held up, I would do the run again,” he said.

This year, his youngest son, David, joined him again.

Kevin’s fundraising efforts have evolved over the years.

Initially, he relied on entry fees and merchandise purchases but later embraced online fundraising.

His most memorable fundraising moments involved wearing costumes.

While working at the Simplot factory in Echuca, colleagues challenged him to raise more than $300.

“So straight away, the manager pulled out a $100 note and slapped it on the desk, so I knew straight away I was done for because then they only had to raise another $200,” he said.

“I think it was $450 or something like that, that was raised that year, so I ran in my daughter’s netball dress.”

The following year brought another costume challenge, running in a Simplot-owned Leggo apron if he raised over $300 again, which he did.

This year, Kevin raised $714 on his GoFundMe page, exceeding the automatic $700 target.

The cause remains close to his heart.

“Hopefully my grandchildren never need to use the Royal Children’s Hospital, but it is nice to know that it is there,” Kevin said.

“Apparently, the Royal Children’s Hospital is right up there with the best in the world for looking after children, and the staff are apparently really fantastic and very empathetic with people and their children.”

Running provides both physical and mental benefits for Kevin.

His back specialist encouraged the activity, telling him, “Running will actually help your back more than sitting around doing nothing”.

He maintains his fitness by running five to six kilometres at the local football oval, extending to 14.5 kilometres in preparation for the event.

A surprise appearance from family provided motivation during the challenging final stretch of this year’s run.

“I got to the 13-and-a-half-kilometre mark, and that’s when you are starting to really feel it,” Kevin said.

“And I heard ‘Go, Poppy go,’ and there was Amber (Kevin’s daughter-in-law), with her two oldest, River and Winter, standing there on the bank yelling out, go Poppy, go.”

“So that was nice, that got me through the last kilometre, which was very good.”

Asked if he was going to train for future Run for the Kids events, Kevin said his wife Debbie raised the idea while they were driving to Melbourne the day before the run.

“She mentioned next year and I said, ‘So you want me to do it again next year?’” Kevin said.

“She said, ‘Oh, if you feel like you can.’ I told her that would mean I’d have to start aiming towards doing it when I am 80, which is only four years away, so we’ll see how that goes.”