1,208km in 9 days
Shannon LeClair – Times Reporter
The Hurtin’ for Haiti team left Winnipeg on July 17 and arrived in Strathmore on July 25. The group continued to run on to the Welcome to Calgary sign, which was as far as the city would allow them to go. Originally there were six members going but on the first day of the run, they lost a runner.
“The weather has been a bit of a shake up for us, we’ve been trying to beat the heat,” said James Slade one of the runners.
“It poured rain about 10 minutes before we left,” said Chantal Denholm.
This is the longest run any of them have ever done in consecutive days. The runners are raising money for Haiti. The idea started with Donovan Hale, who lived in Jamaica before moving to Winnipeg. Hale knows about the devastation that can hit a community after an earthquake, or any type of natural disaster, and now it is hurricane season in Haiti. Denholm’s sister-in-law Candace lives in Strathmore and was a huge help to Chantal, and the rest of the team. Candace set up a fundraising BBQ at M&M Meats to help the team raise money for the relief efforts.
“Our website donations are coming in daily, so we don’t know (what’s been raised),” said Slade.
“We were in Medicine Hat in our hotel when someone knocked on our door to give us money.”
The team isn’t running back to Winnipeg; they all have different plans for when the run is done. One plan they all still have is to continue their fundraising efforts for Haiti.
“We are putting together a slide show and video footage and putting together a sociable to raise more funds,” said Chantal. There will be food and drinks, and people will be able to ask about the trip and donate to the cause.
“The fundraising is ongoing, we’re going to keep the website up,” said Slade.
Depending on the day, each team member was running between 22 to 35 miles a day. A few setbacks have hit the group, in terms of minor injuries and the weather, but nothing has made their determination falter.
“I feel almost as good today as I did on day two,” said Slade. The money being raised will be for temporary shelters, but the group was told temporary shelters would become permanent when people move into them. So now they are looking for more long-term shelters. The team would love to raise millions, but Slade said his goal for now would be $100,000. Chantal said running and fundraising has been more difficult than she thought it would be in the beginning. She said when on the road, its hard to connect with people when you’re tired and especially when in a small town.
“Strathmore has probably been the best reception we’ve had,” said Chantal. Because of some of the troubles the team has had, they are considering writing a how-to guide for anyone who plans to fundraise cross-country. The website, hurtinforhaiti.weebly.com, will remain up, though the team is not sure when or if they might make a run like this again.