FUNdraising

I had no idea how my body was going to feel just a week after rather a long day, but when a friend is throwin' down on a mission to do some good, you show up no matter what.

Bonus if it happens to be a beautiful day!

My friend Rich has been running - quite literally - an annual fundraiser for the Grand River Regional Cancer Centre since 2015, when he lost his father to cancer. He's run 100 miles at Sulphur Springs for donations, and over the past few years he's created his own event where others join him in getting sponsors and running, walking, or wheeling for 24hrs. This year, he decided it would be better to keep it to 12 hours to make things more accessible for people, and also so he could do it all on trails.

On a rather familiar loop in stunning Huron Natural Area

They'd all started at 7am, running laps while Tank and I hit the market and had some brunch. Tanker had a massage appointment at 1:30pm just around the corner, so I dropped him off and then headed over to HNA to see if I could hook up with Rich for a couple of laps. He'd been kind enough to share some time with me both years at Three Days in the Park in Elmira, and I'd always come out to his 24hr fundraisers to lay down some laps in the dark with him, so it seemed only fitting that now we'd share the 1mi lap that had been the basis for the original Three Days in the Park one-man show in 2020.

Rolling up at 1:45pm - it took me ages to find a place to park!
Shannon was manning the aid station the whole time I was there

The unseasonably warm weather - 18c/64f on October 22nd! - had people out in droves to walk the trails and check out the fall colours, which were absolutely gorgeous. 

Just past their peak, but still vibrant and expansive

I lucked out and caught Rich coming in from a lap within minutes after arriving - before I'd even managed to finish my coffee! We headed out right away, and I was grateful to hear that he was mostly just power hiking his way around.

I hadn't run at all since 3DIP and wasn't sure if my legs would co-operate

To be honest, I hadn't even been sure how walking would feel; I'd been going for short walks (up to a mile) throughout the week, but nothing with any elevation and all on sidewalk. I was glad that Rich was using Clay's 1mi loop as it was all groomed trail, so I could wear my cushiest pair of road shoes without worry about technical trails!

I'm grateful that my worries were unfounded

I actually felt great, though, walking along and chatting in the warm sun - I always find that conversation flows very easily with Rich, and my feet and legs seemed happy to hike along at a decent clip. I was sorry when I had to leave after the second lap to pick up Tank, but I knew I'd be right back!

I also ran into my dear friend Nat - also in for the full 12 hours and seen here fueling with a grilled cheese - as I headed out to my car

I might have also made it into the insta posts Shannon was sharing as the day went on

I picked up my sweetheart, and we both cruised back over to HNA for about 3pm. I caught Rich coming in from another lap not long afterward, and off we went again!

Taking some different routes this time, as he was getting a little bored with the standard loop

It turned out that my legs were fine even with some more challenging terrain, and I felt perfectly dressed for the weather; the warm sun on my legs in my skirt, and the sleeves of my light wool shirt pushed up to my elbows so I wouldn't overheat.

We were also pausing here and there to take photos, because why wouldn't we?

There were endless families out getting autumn photo shoots done, and no less than 4 wedding parties as well

We got around the park pretty well, hitting most of the trails both groomed and singletrack.

Even the boardwalk over the decidedly dry-looking swamp

We saw little in the way of wildlife - just too many people about - but there was the occasional glimpse of movement in the woods or the fallen leaves.

Like this bright, beautiful garter snake out soaking up some of the last of the sun

As evening came on - as it does so quickly these days - the sunlight turned that delicious gold, bathing the forest in honey.

Huron is one of my favourite places to run at sunset

..and run I did! Rich broke into a trot to try to change up muscle recruitment a bit, and to my surprise I was able to follow along without discomfort!

Who knew?

As the minutes ticked by, the low sun angle only deepened the jaw-dropping autumnal colours.

Contrasting beautifully with the pure blue sky

The heat of the day began to slip away; a welcome change for the runners and walkers who'd been working hard for so many hours already.

Rich was still in great spirits!

I was still feeling great, and pulling my sleeves back down was enough to ward off a chill as we headed into the final hour.

I'm so grateful to have been able to see such lovely views, and to share them with a good friend

We arrived back at the aid station around 6:05pm, and found Nat there - we invited her and Tank to come out for a lap with us, as well as a gentleman who'd just shown up.

I didn't catch his name, unfortunately

While we were out - and before it got dark - Rich had suggested we pick up the directional signs from the 1mi loop and bring them back to the aid station at the parking lot.

Of course Tank was a good sport about carrying them - he's just that kind of wonderful!

As we walked along we also hooked up with Merlin, who'd already done more than 75km on the day! We lost Nat and the other gent somewhere along the way, and dropped Tank off with the signs at the aid station as we finished a lap. Then it was just myself, Merlin, and Rich to finish things off!

An amazing effort by these two gents!

We were rapidly running out of time and daylight - I was grateful I'd had the presence of mind to suggest picking up headlamps - but we found a route that took us just about exactly to the 12 hour mark.

We got to see most of the park throughout the course of the afternoon and evening

When we approached the aid station for the final time, Merlin suggested that we should run it in, so off we trotted to end an amazing day!

What a great show of strength at the end of a long day for these lads!

Finish line high five!

To make things even better, Rich and his team were able to more than double their fundraising goal of five thousand dollars, bringing in more than $12,400 in total!

All to support life-saving research and treatments -
you can still donate by clicking here if you like!

I am honoured to have played a tiny part in this amazing event, and so proud of my friends for their incredible efforts!

I may be in the photo, but they absolutely deserve all the recognition for their hard work!

I'm grateful my body was strong enough to carry me through - who would have thought that 4+ hrs and a little more than 22km of trails would feel so good less than a week after finishing 24hrs?

Though I may have been distracted by the gorgeous surroundings, not to mention the excellent company!

I have actually started doing some gentle walk-runs around my own neighbourhood this week, and the damage from all of my recent exertions seems to be fading nicely. 

Thought it was only appropriate to wear the shirt from a prior year's fundraiser for one of them

It's great to feel a bit of strength returning, especially since I have some shenanigans planned with friends for tomorrow - happy Halloween, all!