EFNL: South Belgrave’s Liam Kidd, Jake Kidd set for 24-hour charity run

Saints duo Liam Kidd and Jake Kidd will be taking on the run of a lifetime later this month, all in the name of charity.

Saints captain Liam Kidd will be joined by teammate and brother Jake in a 24-hour, 100km charity run later this month. Picture: Davis Harrigan

They’re running machines on the field.

And now, South Belgrave brothers Liam Kidd and Jake Kidd will be taking their athletic prowess off the field in a bid to raise much-needed funds and awareness for Variety – the Children’s Charity.

Variety – the Children’s Charity provides support to children who are sick, disadvantaged or have special needs, providing grants for everything from mobility equipment and wheelchairs, education aides, communication devices, medical services and items, therapy services and much more.

The brothers will be running 100km in 24 hours, kicking off at 7am on Saturday, October 30 from South Belgrave Football Netball Club. They’ll run circuits of the town, clocking up 4.2km every hour.

Saints premiership captain Liam is coming off a season where he won a second consecutive league best and fairest, in a year where community footy again felt the brunt of a COVID shutdown.

Liam Kidd won a second consecutive league best and fairest this season. Picture: Field of View Sports Photography

But footy’s abrupt ending hasn’t meant the two-time league medallist would rest on his laurels, turning his attention to the mammoth run.

A “nervous and excited” Liam has been busily preparing.

“Training’s been full-on,” Kidd said.

“Pretty much since footy’s been shut down, I’ve been concentrating on that – close to 100km a week I’ve been doing.”

Footy’s absence, coupled with becoming a parent a year ago, sparked the plan into action.

“As every parent knows, it is hard to be a parent (as it is), it’s not easy,” Liam said.

“You’ve got to feel for these parents (of disadvantaged children) … it must take a toll and I just said to (my fiancé Ellie), ‘I feel like we should try to help in any way we can’.

“I said ‘Why don’t I have a crack at this (charity run)?’, do something to do with running and try to raise awareness and raise some money.

“I came up with the 100km run – I thought what could I do that could challenge me and get the people behind me as well.

“I just thought running 100km seems pretty hard, and to try and make it a bit harder I thought it could be done over a 24-hour period.

“It will be a run through the night which I think will be the hard part.”

Teammate and older brother Jake didn’t need any convincing to join in.

“I was running heaps and he (Jake) asked why I was running … I kept it quiet for a couple of weeks and he asked ‘Can I do it with you?’,” Liam said.

Jake Kidd in his Box Hill days. Picture: Box Hill Hawks

“Jake’s been training a heap as well which is good … it’ll be good to have someone to run with through the middle of the night.

“I’m extremely lucky to have my brother put his hand up, I’m looking forward to it and couldn’t pick a better person to do it with.”

And the club is right behind the duo.

“A couple of the trainers have put their hands up and said we’ll stay with you for the full 24 hours if you need us for a massage or whatever,” Liam said.

“Hopefully if we’re allowed, the club said they could try to put on a barbecue and maybe some beers over the bar, and all the money could go to the foundation as well. It’s a good community, the South Belgrave community.”

An Instagram page has been set up under the name @TheAthleticDad_ to follow the journey, and a fundraising page through Variety has raised more than $3000.

Click here to visit the fundraising page to donate or for more information.