Mothers of all ages came together to celebrate Mother's Day with a fun run or walk with a message.
Hundreds of people took part in the Jennian Homes Mother's Day Fun Run/Walk held at Kulim Park yesterday, including Tauranga woman Gail Matthews, pictured, who took part with her daughter.
MsMatthews has a family history of heart disease, which she said played a major role in motivation to do regular walks along with low impact exercises.
"I've participated in two previous events; this will be my third," she said, noting the events were not only a fun way to spend quality family time, but were also for a good cause."
A portion of every entry fee went towards the Heart Foundation's 'Go Red for Women' campaign, which targeted heart disease as the single biggest killer of Kiwi women. "I really enjoy these events as they are a show of togetherness, regardless of age, race or occupation," Ms Matthews said.
Heart Foundation medical director Gerry Devlin said doing just 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day, even in 10 minute chunks, could help to reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
"Be active in as many ways as possible every day. Even if you don't think you can squeeze anything else into your day, see if you can reduce the time you spend sitting still and free up time to be active," Mr Devlin said.
