THE story of an Albury boy, 4, had those part of a wheelbarrow push from Beechworth to Mount Buffalo feeling emotional at the end of their tough trek on Sunday.
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There were 24 different causes aided by the second Beechworth Barrowthon.
The 88km fundraising weekend walk from Beechworth to Mount Buffalo generated almost $82,000 in donations.
Team Justa and Gunk received $20,000 in support of four-year-old Seamus Clancy from Albury who was diagnosed in May with a rare genetic disease, adrenoleukodystrophy.
ALD affects one in 18,000 boys and leads to permanent disability or death within two to five years of diagnosis.
Barrowthon organiser Guy Wilkinson said the Clancy’s gratitude made for an emotional finish in front of the Mount Buffalo Chalet at midday on Sunday.
“We all paused when Justin Clancy was speaking,” he said.
“He said the lift in his spirits to know he had this support had been really meaningful.
“He’s so pragmatic and just deals with what life has handed them, but it must just be devastating.”
The team raising the next largest amount, Coolangatta Gold with $10,000, took part in a similar vain.
Member Sam Niedra said former Beechworth man Jonny Allen nominated a Byawatha family whose five-year-old, Darcy has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
DMD means Darcy will probably be in a wheelchair by the age of 12.
“The beautiful thing is Darcy’s cousins, grandparents and family all came along and made a weekend of it, greeting us at the halfway point at Porepunkah and again at the top,” Mr Niedra said.
“It’s been a real physical challenge, but we feel really privileged to be able to help out a family with a real need.
“It makes it feel really personal when you’re a parent.”
Mr Wilkinson said the event, which originated from a bet made in 1935, was becoming a staple fundraiser.
“This year we had 240 participants and a whole group of kids, so there was 300 people at some points during the track,” he said.
“Last year it was 100 participants and 17 teams so we were absolutely blown away.
“We’ll definitely do it again next year and most people said to us ‘we’ll see you then’.
“They cross the line exhausted, some in tears – they’re doing it for a reason so there’s this outpouring.”
