Will Warne’s entrepreneurial moment came on the streets of San Francisco, pushing a baby stroller.

A supply company director who distributes products to Nike, Target and others, Warne is also an avid runner. But the birth of his daughter, Harper, in 2009 made pushing her stroller a new and burdensome addition to his jogging trips.

“Fifty percent of running is upper body,” Warne said. “When you’re pushing, you lose that part of the workout.”

So he got to thinking: Why not invent a lightweight stroller that runners can harness to their waists, pulling their children as they go?

Today, KidRunner is nearing completion.

Warne moved to Bend last year with his wife, Megan Karnopp, and Harper, and he’s been working on KidRunner in earnest, along with two business partners, one in the Bay Area and another in Denver.

A runner attaches a harness to his or her waist. A curved suspension system attaches to the harness, connecting it to what’s essentially a two-wheel stroller.

Warne said the product is 70 percent finished. He’s still working out some minor kinks with the seat and harness.

But he hopes to be selling KidRunners at some point in 2014. The device is currently about 20 inches high and 32 inches long, and can be broken down to fit into a custom backpack. It weighs 25 pounds, but Warne is hoping to get it to about 20 pounds by the time it hits the market. It can support kids between 10 pounds and 45 pounds.

He’s seeking investors and plans to launch a fundraising campaign on Kickstarter this fall, hoping to raise $50,000 to $100,000. He’s also looking for runners in the Bend area to take his KidRunner prototypes on test runs.

Warne said he isn’t sure what the price for each KidRunner will be. But it could be comparable to a mountain bike, set of skis or snowboard.

KidRunner video

To see the KidRunner in action, visit http://vimeo.com/kidrunner/meet-us

What: KidRunner

What it does: Develops kid strollers for runners

Pictured: Will Warne, founder of KidRunner

Where: Bend

Employees: Three

Email: kidrunners@gmail.com

Website: www.kidrunners.com

Q: What challenges have you faced developing KidRunner?

A: I built the first KidRunner with parts from Home Depot. It worked great, but it was long and inelegant, with PVC tubing. So I partnered with a bike builder to improve the model. I asked people in the (San Francisco) running community a lot of questions about what features they would like. It has taken a lot of work. You have to believe you’ve got something in spite of your doubts.

Q: Where do you see the business in five years?

A: We envision reinventing the way people run and explore with their kids. Maybe we will have several employees manufacturing them and distributing them nationwide. There could be some variations to the model, like one that can seat two kids.