The Abel Tasman Coast Track is one of the New Zealand Department of Conservation s Great Walks. After competing in Auckland’s Gumboot Marathon raising just under $23,000 for Melanoma NZ and Rural Support Trust, Keeys said he had been itching to find another opportunity to give back. It was Williams who suggested a run to raise funds to buy school and sport shoes for low socio-economic communities. Teaming up with the Salvation Army, Williams then thought “why not take the gumboot concept a step further and go barefoot”. The schoolmates spent more than three months training every weekend barefoot on different treks across the Waikato in preparation.