Fred Robins walks the trail along the South Saskatchewan River on Sept. 7, 2022. (Photo Courtesy Bob Schneider)

By Chris Brown

From Millarville to Calgary

‘I enjoy walking’: Hatter Fred Robins ready for 100 km Kidney March

Sep 8, 2022 | 1:19 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Fred Robins is a regular on our community’s trails, but he’s not just seeing the sites and staying in tip-top shape. He’s also training.

This weekend Fred will walk 100 kilometres worth of trails in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with close to 400 others in the Kidney March.

The marchers will walk about 33 kilometres each day, starting in Millarville and ending in Calgary.

The 78-year-old got the idea to walk from one of his daughters, a dialysis nurse who first marched in 2012.

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Fred met some of her patients and was inspired by them. He then found more personal inspiration in 2019 the year of his first walk, at age 75, after one of his nieces passed away and donated her organs.

Fred is looking forward to the return of the traditional walk after two years of virtual walks during the pandemic

“Most of the inspiration is still remembering the original one where you walk … when you do the actual march you’re walking with people and talking, you’re finding out why they are doing it,” he says. “And you’re meeting donors, you’re meeting recipients and you know you become very close to them they become family and they say that you become part of the Kidney March family and you do. It’s a wonderful, wonderful experience.”

According to the Kidney Foundation of Canada, four million Canadians have chronic kidney disease or are at risk and there is no cure. Seventy-seven per cent of Canadians waiting for an organ transplant are waiting for a kidney.

Two days before this year’s walk starts Fred walked 15 kilometres, joking that he took it easy. That took him about three hours.

He says he tries to walk five kilometres every day of the year and begins to ramp up to this weekend as winter turns to fall.

“I enjoy walking. I start working on this one in March and April I start depending on the weather and I’ll build it up to it,” he says. “This year because of the heat it was a little harder to do the afternoon walks. But in previous years I walked 45 [kilometres] to Echo Dale and back three or four times. You kind of build yourself up to long distance walking, I guess.”

Fred says he’s proof that anyone can be a Kidney Marcher.

“Even if you’re 75 you can still do it.”

Find more about Fred’s story, the Kidney March and how you can help at kidneymarch.ca.