A Devonport dad is lacing up for a gruelling 100km walk from Launceston to Devonport with the aim of raising $5,000 for critically ill children through Make-A-Wish Australia.
Nick Hamilton will set off on Friday and plans to cover the distance over two days.
His first leg will take him from Launceston to Deloraine, a trek he expects will take around 11 and a half hours.
He will stay overnight before heading out again at 6am on Saturday to complete the journey to Devonport, hoping to arrive by Saturday night.
Hamilton, a father of three, said the cause struck a personal chord.
“Having three kids myself and them being all healthy, this sort of just hit home a little bit,” he said.
“There’s kids out there that are going through the hardest times of their life and their families as well … who deserve joy, deserve to be happy, have the strength and unforgettable moments during some of the toughest battles imaginable.”
“And that’s coming from a kid,” he said.
It’s not Hamilton’s first long-distance walk for the charity.
He previously walked from Devonport to Burnie, a distance of roughly 55km, raising $2,500 with no training at all.
This time the distance has doubled and he’s set his fundraising target to match.
Hamilton said he’d done some preparation but wouldn’t call himself super fit.
“I’ve done a few walks leading up to it, about 15, 20km just to try and get the sort of the [kilometers] into the legs,” he said.
Hamilton said part of his motivation was showing what ordinary people can achieve when the community rallies behind them.
“When the community gets behind someone, like they have with me, it makes a big difference,” he said.
Hamilton will livestream the walk on his Facebook page.
The walk coincides with World Wish Month, which marks the anniversary of the first wish granted by Make-A-Wish on April 29, 1980.
The charity is encouraging Australians to walk 5km every day during April through its Walk for Wish Kids fundraising campaign.
Tasmanians can donate through his online fundraising page.
