The City2Surf is a challenge for most people at any age, let alone being an eight-year-old with juvenile diabetes.
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For Harrison Browne of Queanbeyan West Public School, the 14-kilometre journey was one he begged his mum to be part of.
Mel Browne said for the past four years she had been running in the event, but this year after giving birth via emergency caesarean she was determined to continue the tradition, but by walking instead.
“When Harri found out we were walking it, he asked if he could do it too,” Ms Browne said.
“And he asked if he could do it to raise money, so we said he could do it this year for the first time.”
Harri battles Type 1 diabetes. He was diagnosed at four years old.
Ms Browne said she gets up more times in the night to test his blood sugar levels than she does for her newborn baby.
“It is challenging at times, it's a bit of a rollercoaster.”
On Harri’s fundraising page, the blurb says he hates his condition.
“I hate having finger pricks around 10 times daily. I hate site changes every three days… because it hurts, alot.
“I hate being treated differently and I hate that it can make some normal kid activities like sleepovers at a friends house difficult. I've never had a sleepover at a friends...Ever!”
Ms Browne said the City2Surf posed extra challenges, and it proved difficult to manage Harri’s condition.
“He was high all day, there was nothing we could do to bring him down,” she said, referring to Harri’s blood sugar levels.
However, after hearing him complain “every step of the way” during their training walks at Lake Burley Griffin, she said she was proud of her son for making it through 13 kilometres of the journey before he said he had sore feet.
“We tried to tell him he’d be walking about three laps of the lake to give him a bit of an idea, but he didn’t really comprehend that.
“I thought to myself, what have we got ourselves in for, but he did really well, we’re super proud of him.”
Harri was thrilled to receive his first ever medal at the end of the race.
To donate to Harri’s cause, visit everydayhero.com and search Haz.