by CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
FORESTERS FALLS — Mother Nature co-operated and Saturday was a perfect weather day for the Second Annual Git ‘Er Done Mud Run organized by the Pembroke office of the Canadian Cancer Society and hosted at Wilderness Tours near Foresters Falls.
“It was a great day,” said Lana Gorr, the community engagement specialist for the Pembroke office.
There were about 600 adult participants who traversed a six-kilometre trail with 18 mud-related obstacles and 100 children, aged 5 to 11, in the Muddy Buddies challenge, who did 13 obstacles in 1.5 kilometres.
While there are still pledges coming in, Ms. Gorr said just under $84,000 was raised, which is less than the more than $100,000 raised in its first year last year.
This was the first year for the Muddy Buddies challenge and it will become a regular feature, Ms. Gorr said. She said on the day of the event, there were 55 children registered and by the time the event started, there were 100 participants.
The brother-sister team of Gracyn and Ben McPhail raised $1,200 between the two of them and received a free party courtesy of Ry J’s Adventures, the company that sponsored the Muddy Buddies event. A few other children received Saws for Cause (toy saws) from Dick Plummer Marine.
“The kids had so much fun,” Ms. Gorr said.
Lynn Cooper, the honourary survivor for the event, raised the most money in the adult category, coming in at just over $7,000.
“She raised that in just two-and-a-half weeks,” Ms. Gorr said.
Ms. Cooper was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2016. She had a double mastectomy and was told she had a 30 percent chance to live without treatment.
“I just finished seven months of gruelling chemotherapy and still have 25 radiation treatments, hormone therapy and more surgeries to follow,” she wrote on her Git ‘Er Done Mud Run page. “I know first-hand how challenging cancer can be for myself and for my family watching me go through it.
“I am not sure how long I have left, no one knows. Life is a gift, yet it is so fragile, so unpredictable and so uncontrollable,” she wrote.
Ms. Gorr believes there were less participants and money raised than last year because people did not register until the last few days due to the rainy spring.
“They were waiting to see what the weather was going to be like on the day of the event,” she said.
There was also the conflict with the running event in Ottawa, which sees many people from this area participate, she added.
She believes the Muddy Buddies increased the day of the event because people realized there was an opportunity for their children to also participate.
“This is a family oriented event, it’s not just about people getting dirty,” Ms. Gorr said.
Once they completed the event, participants had a chance to get hosed off by Beachburg firefighters are use the cold-water showers provided.
While it is a timed event, there is no overall winner, she said. There were 13 waves of participants leaving at various intervals so the event is spread out throughout the day.
“The first place finisher last year also placed first this year,” Ms. Gorr noted.
Once the running event was over, there was opportunity to listen to the five bands who performed on the deck at Rafters at Wilderness Tours from 3 to 11 p.m. Bands and performers included First Base, Joel Vaillancourt and Lisa Schilling.
The money raised at this event helps support local and national programs, such as research and Wheels of Hope, which offers transportation to cancer patients’ appointments.
“All the drivers are volunteers,” Ms. Gorr said. “Our 23 drivers took more than 250 cancer patients to their appointments.”
Jacob Dawson of Pembroke raised $1,100 and Melanie Matthews of Carp (formerly of Beachburg) raised $1,035, for the opportunity to have their hair cut on stage. This hair will be sent to Pantene and used to make wigs.
Ms. Gorr noted real hair wigs can cost upwards of $1,500 to have made, and the society provides them free to cancer patients.
Ms. Gorr noted this event cannot happen without the more than 100 volunteers who work throughout the day as well as the “fantastic sponsors” who help with the expenses. This year’s sponsors were Whitewater Brewing Co., Wilderness Tours, Ry J’s Adventure, SunSign Graphics, Dunbar Home Inspections, Star 96, Legacy Homes, Jamieson Travel and Tours, and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories.
Ms. Gorr said there will be a third annual Git ‘Er Done Mud Run and Muddy Buddies.
The Whitewater Relay for Life is in Beachburg on June 16/17.
