On Saturday, August 31st, a handful of local trail runners will run for 24 hours straight on the trails in the Chilliwack River Valley.
I'll be participating for between 10-12 of those hours, as prior commitments prevent me from joining on Saturday morning. What that means for me, though, is that I will experience this entirely in the dark.
This event is in support of Alzheimer's research. Our Team Captain and organizer, Katrina Abram, is processing the sorrow of watching her grandfather suffer through this disease. As she wrote on our team homepage, "There are so many families dealing with this disease and the more we talk about it, the more we can relate to each other and share our stories. We can lift each other up!"
For myself and my family, we witnessed dementia take the life of my grandmother over several years. It is my special honor and joy to do as Katrina says, and help lift her up by bringing attention to this event and this fundraiser with my legs and my words.
Together, and by supporting the work of the Alzheimer Society, you are ensuring there is an organization dedicated to providing services and programs to help families faced with dementia have the confidence and skills to maintain quality of life, and to supporting the search for the cure.
This event is from 7am August 31st to 7am on September 1st and begins at Chilliwack Lake. The route will follow the valley floor and hit several peaks and mountain lakes along the way (Flora Peak, Greendrop Lake, Lindeman lake, Radium Lake, Pierce Lake, etc.) until the 24 hours are finished. This is a point to point event that will go as far as the time allows.
I personally will join the group at approximately 8 p.m. on Saturday, August 31st, and will run until we've all stopped moving.
Join us with your financial support and your cheers, and we'll be happy to call you our teammates too!