A team of eight runners kicked off their Wounded Warrior Run BC (WWRBC) campaign with a one-day run from Sooke to Sidney on Sunday (Feb. 2 ).
The 60-kilometre run began at Legion Branch #54 at 10 a.m. and ended at the Mary Winspear Community Centre at exactly 4:45 p.m., when runners arrived accompanied by a paramedic unit and a convoy of police cars.
"Epic," was how the runners described their journey.
"It was snowing between Sooke and Langford," Wounded Warrior Run BC director Jacqueline Zweng said. "We had snowsqualls on the way to Saanich, followed by sunshine and chilly wind when we arrived in Sidney."
The weather on Sunday epitomizes the challenges many ill and injured Canadian Armed Forces members, veterans, first responders and their families go through as they transition back to duty or civilian life.
"We chose February because the weather is typically challenging," Zweng explains. "We did that for a reason because it's not easy to ask for help; those things don't happen on a nice, sunny day. People may spend some time in the dark and we want to demonstrate that no matter how bad things get, there is always someone willing to lend a hand. So, today was merely a lovely symbolic moment to convey the message that we will always arrive on time at every stop, no matter what circumstances are thrown at us."
Peninsula officials like Mayors Cliff McNeil-Smith of Sidney and Peter Jones of North Saanich, plus Couns. Kristine Marshall, Sanjiv Shrivastava and Irene McConkey welcomed the runners at Mary Winspear, joined by supporters like Central Saanich councillor Sarah Riddell and a few WWRBC alumni.
Organizers say it's critical to bring back past runners so they can continue to feel a connection to the run and the cause for as long as they like, while providing new members with an opportunity to learn about the run's evolution.
This year's Vancouver Island team is led by Nathalie Butler who recently retired from the Canadian Armed Forces; Kevin Whiteside, a member of the Canadian Armed Forces for over 26 years; Jason Laidman, Victoria Police deputy chief; Dan Bodden, co-founder of the WWRBC; Cpl. Pat Bryant of Central Saanich Police Service; Paul Jones, RCMP Comox ValleyB次元官网网址檚 bike unit and Francesca Lott, former paramedic with BC Ambulance.
"It's a cause that I believe in," said Matt Carlson, projects officer with CFB Esquimalt Base public affairs B次元官网网址� also part of the team. "It's dear to my heart to be able to support our trauma-exposed professionals and stand up for my colleagues, as well as the people who support my family on a day-to-day basis. It's an honour to be a part of this amazing initiative."
Carlson has been running with WWRBC since 2018.
The one-day run serves as a warm-up for their next eight-day, 800-kilometre expedition from Port Hardy to Victoria that starts on Feb. 23.
Through live and online auctions, they have raised roughly $18,000 so far, which Zweng says is a good start toward their $250,000 target for this year.
All proceeds from the run remain on Vancouver Island to fund life-changing programs for local trauma-exposed professionals and their families.
