Saturday 28 April 2012

600 Kms - Mile Zero

It was truly inspiring to see Terry crest Beacon Hill Park in Victoria this morning. His wife and road crew stood and watched as he finished his 600 km journey with a smile on his face.

The excitement continued to build as family, friends, and supporting runners all gathered at the Terry Fox statue to begin the 5 km run from Mile Zero to South Park Elementary School. For a while the crowd grew  quite big when a bus of Japanese tourists stopped as well. The reason for the tour bus stop was obviously Mile Zero and the Terry Fox statue, but quickly the focus turned and people starting whipping out their cameras and snapping pictures furiously! What was capturing their attention and garnering smiles and laughs? Not Terry, as you might think, but his adorable blond-haired grandson, Andy, and Terry and Judy's equally adorable dog, Mocha! The tourists could not get enough of those two - they definitely stole the show!

Our run began at 9:30 am and we made great time, ending up at the school just before 10:00 am where a wonderful reception met us - complete with the Chariots of Fire soundtrack! Personally, I felt very honoured to be running with an amazing group of athletes, including Jim Finlayson, Mark Cryderman and Karin Kratz.

Terry, thank you so much for being an inspiration to me personally, to the KidStart program, The John Howard Society of North Island, The John Howard Society of Victoria and to all of the current and potential mentors who are motivated by your actions and moved by your words. I will miss the opportunity of turning your daily phone calls into stories on this blog - till next time!

Friday 27 April 2012

One More Day to Go!

Terry once said that the last month has been nothing but eat, run, sleep, eat, run, sleep. We can imagine that the past couple of days of rest have been a nice break and we are positive that he is looking forward to tomorrow morning when he runs into Mile Zero at 9:00 am and then at 9:30 am begins his last 5 km, ending up at South Park Elementary School field.

Any and all supporters of Terry and the KidStart Run are invited to head down to South Park Elementary School to give a warm welcome to Terry and his supporting runners. What a momentous day tomorrow will be! 26 days and 600 km! You can do it Terry - we never had any doubt!

The John Howard Society of North Island was so lucky to have had you as a mentor in the KidStart program and we are honoured that you have continued to support KidStart in such an amazing way!

Thursday 26 April 2012

Tales from the Road

We hope Terry, Judy and the road crew are enjoying some rest and relaxation in Victoria today! Saturday can't come soon enough for two ladies at the John Howard Society office who are excited to be heading down to Victoria tomorrow morning to join Terry on his last 5 km run!

We are all counting down the hours in anticipation of Terry completing his 600 km and finally finishing what he set out to accomplish at the beginning of this month- running Vancouver Island from tip to tip! Speaking of counting down the hours, we were always interested in what exactly went through Terry's mind as he ran day in and day out. This is what Terry had to say a few weeks ago when asked:
"The other day as I was running, I had my head down and I thought to myself, Terry, you are running like a clock! And then I thought... you jerk, a grandfather clock!"

We all had a chuckle over that!  Keep on ticking Terry!

Wednesday 25 April 2012

Terry Hits the Galloping Goose!

The relaxing run down the Malahat was probably not what Terry envisioned when he started out yesterday afternoon. Only three feet of pavement separated him from the massive, speeding semi-trucks that roared down the highway blasting him with their gravitational force and soaking him from head to toe as they generated muddy waves. 

It could not be better timing then that, as of this afternoon, Terry is off the highways and running along the gentle and quiet path of the Galloping Goose Trail. Instead of the roar and honks of vehicles, he will now plod along to the sound of his own footsteps.

Terry built a few extra days into the run as a buffer to ensure he would complete the entire journey from tip to tip in 26 days, foreseeing any possible injuries or extremely bad weather. As it stands today, Terry will run to the old Johnson Street Bridge by this afternoon, finishing his journey to Victoria in excellent health!

After a few days rest, Terry will complete the final leg of the run this Saturday, April 28th. He expects to be at Mile 0 at 9:00 am. Any and all supporters of KidStart, Terry, and his amazing accomplishment, are strongly encouraged to meet Terry at this milestone and cheer him on. 

Once Terry reaches Mile 0, he will be joined by fellow runners and supporters to complete the last 5 km finishing at South Park Elementary School field.

Tuesday 24 April 2012

Day 22 Rocky Balboa Has Got Nothing on Terry Kratzmann!

This morning Terry conquered the Malahat! It took 2 gruelling hours to cover 15.7 km of steep, winding mountain until finally reaching the summit - 1,156 ft above sea level!

After the arduous trek up, surrounded by the imposing mature forest and rugged mountainside, and finally reaching its very peak, Terry brought to mind the famous scene in Rocky, where Rocky Balboa runs up the stairs and throws his arms up in victory. As Terry stood, turned and looked at the road behind him, he thought, "I would have liked to have seen Rocky do that!"

Famished and sweaty from such a momentous effort and accomplishment, Terry looked forward to nothing more than getting back to his RV to eat a big meal and have a hot shower... only to find once he got there that Judy had locked up the trailer and headed into the city to go shopping!

Terry, we have to admit, we had a good laugh about that! We pictured you standing in front of the locked RV door yelling, "Juuudddyyy!" the same way Rocky yelled, "Aaaadrian!"

The lure of great shopping in Victoria would be hard to resist for us ladies at the John Howard Society office too! And how was Judy to know that you would run up the entire mountain in only 2 hours? Absolutely amazing!

Congratulations on hitting the final stretch of your journey! Enjoy the ease of downhill as you make your way to Goldstream Park this afternoon!


Monday 23 April 2012

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Terry and his crew have set up camp in Victoria today as he prepares to run into Mill Bay this afternoon. He is gearing up for tomorrow morning when begins running the Malahat. 

Applebees in Victoria will be hosting a dinner for Terry and the road crew this Thursday - something to look forward to as he runs into town!

After much thought, Terry has decided not to run the Times Colonist run this Sunday. He made this decision due to the fact that he has been running at a very steady pace each day and he feels that putting himself in a race situation the day after he finishes the KidStart run will open the door for injury. Terry feels great right now and he wants to stay that way!

When asked if he realizes what an accomplishment the KidStart run has been, he humbly replies that he hasn't really thought much more about it other than he never had any doubt that he could accomplish it. There are no doubts on our end either, Terry! Enjoy these last few days on the road!

Sunday 22 April 2012

15 Marathons

By 11:00 am this morning, Terry had arrived 6 km north of Duncan and expected to be south of Duncan by the end of the day.  As he runs through Duncan, he expects to use the sidewalks because of the heavy traffic and his escort vehicle will skip ahead and meet up with him at the end of the town.

He's had beautiful weather again with slightly overcast skies and temperatures between 9 and 11 centigrade.

He was met by a wonderful group in Ladysmith where he was joined for the run by his friend Costas Roussinos.  Costas is training for the Vancouver marathon so we started to compare the KidStart run to a marathon.  We realized that running the length of Vancouver Island is the equivalent to almost 15 marathons!  And Terry has a bit more than one more marathon to run before he reaches his destination.

The challenging part of the run - the Malahat - is still ahead of him.  Keep it up Terry and run safely.  We're so proud of you.

Saturday 21 April 2012

Less than 100 km to go

CTV filmed Terry as he huffed and puffed up the big hill towards College Drive at the south end of Nanaimo yesterday afternoon.  Terry tells us that it's a myth that running downhill is harder than uphill.  He'd take downhill with a tail wind any day.

Today he expects to be just south of Ladysmith by the end of his afternoon run and has less than 100 km to go to reach his destination in Victoria.  He had nice, sunny weather for the morning run and reports that about 250 cars honked encouragement at him as they drove by.  As he arrives in each community now, people know about KidStart - the television, radio and newspaper reports are spreading the story about this amazing program.  As you know, this was Terry's biggest goal so he is delighted.

Thank you to all for your continued support for Terry and the KidStart Run.

Friday 20 April 2012

Day 18 A Nice Tail Wind

Terry reports that it is a beautiful day in Nanaimo today. This afternoon his goal is to begin running up the big hill south of the city and end his run as soon as he hits the top.

Last night Chek News had excellent coverage on Terry's run. You can find the link here - it begins at 11:08 minutes into the April 19th 5:00 pm news report. Even Ed Bain gave accolades to Terry as he reported the weather. Ed astutely noted, "You always talk about coming down the island, well, having cycled this island... it's not all downhill. As a matter of fact, it's almost uphill in both directions sometimes!"

True words for any runner, but for Terry this run is not all an uphill battle. In regard to the big hill he faces this afternoon he said, "Don't worry... it is nothing compared to the hill outside of Holberg! And I've got a nice tail wind today."

Terry has an amazing spirit and tremendous endurance. We have no doubt he will make it to the top!



Thursday 19 April 2012

Roadside Picker

One left-handed hockey stick in excellent condition. 

Sound like a Craigslist ad? Nope, just one of the many items that Terry has seen on the side of the road since he began the KidStart run. Besides enjoying Werthers Original Caramels, Terry also keeps occupied by keeping track of lost and discarded roadside treasures. Here is his list:

11 licence plates
30 tires
20 tire rims
40 CDs
150 bungee cords
1 set of dresser drawers
1 bathtub
6 new driver magnets
30 tarps
4 vehicles
7 sofa cushions
hundreds of pieces of various clothing
thousands of broken car parts
tens of thousands bottles and cans

Terry even found a wallet that he promptly turned in to the local RCMP.  But the hockey stick? Well, that he kept...it was in excellent condition after all!

Terry hopes to be past Nanoose this afternoon and at some point on the road will be meeting with Chek News!  Tune in to see Terry on TV!

Wednesday 18 April 2012

Cruise Control

Despite planning for a shorter afternoon run yesterday, Terry still had to contend with poor weather. On the bright side he did manage to finish the 30 km before the hail started!

Terry reports that this mornings run was beautiful... so beautiful he decided to keep going! He will once again have a bit shorter run this afternoon after enjoying the wonderful weather this morning.

By the end of the day today, Terry will have reached the Qualicum turnoff. He doesn't have much to report today, as he has switched to "cruise control."  Keep on cruisin' Terry!

Tuesday 17 April 2012

High Winds Predicted

High winds are predicted on the road this afternoon, so in anticipation of this, Terry ran a bit extra this morning and will do a bit less this afternoon. At the end of the day, Terry will be 2 km south of Horne Lake turnoff.

Terry mentioned that as he is running it never seems like he has gone very far... until he back tracks by vehicle and realizes just how far he has gone and how much road he has covered!

This afteroon Terry's wife, Judy, is going to take over driving the escort vehicle so that they boys (less Terry of course) can take a much deserved afteroon off and enjoy a round of golf at Arrowsmith Golf Course.

Terry, as always, is feeling fantastic and his sprits are high!

Monday 16 April 2012

It's A Numbers Game

4500... the number of calories Terry would need to eat in order to maintain his weight during the run.
5... times a day Terry eats.
7... pounds Terry has lost to date.

The hardest part of the run for Terry is trying to eat enough food! Despite stopping to eat 5 times each day, it is impossible for him to consume the 4500 calories needed to maintain his current weight. He still feels great though, and even if he loses another 7 pounds, he will be healthy and happy.

Here are some other numbers... 5 versus 6.3. A few readers out there might know what we are talking about, but for those who don't... a few days ago 4 John Howard employees decided to run the 5 km from McDonald's road to Spirit Square to make sure we felt confident we could keep up with Terry and finish the run. One employee wore her ipod nano that is equipped with a fitness app that recorded the actual distance of the run as 6.3 km! Of course we had to give Terry a hard time about this the next time we spoke with him. He responded with a smile, "Geez! What's another 1 km! The more you hurt - the longer it lasts - the more you'll think about KidStart!" We can't argue with that! 

Please head on over to the Campbell River Curling Club website to view some amazing pictures of the KidStart Run!

Sunday 15 April 2012

KidStart Run Hits Courtenay!

What a momentous day! This morning marked the end of Shane's journey with the KidStart Run as he finished the 5 km into Simms Park. A few days ago Shane became a bit emotional thinking about the finish line, but as he continued to run towards Courtenay he came to terms with his feelings and overall he is glad he did it and feels he learned a lot about himself.

Shane and Terry ran the the hardest part of the run together - they conquered the entire North Island. As you can imagine, after 375 km of running side by side, Shane and Terry grew very close. This was evident in the speeches that Shane and Terry gave at Simms Park after the run. At this point in the run, we also say goodbye to one of the road crew members as well - thank you so much for your selflessness and dedication!

Many volunteers came out to Simms Park today and it was especially great to see so many mentors and also a few mentees - the spirit of the KidStart program was truly represented in Courtenay today!

As a bit of a change, Terry decided to keep pace with the group of walkers, including registrant Karin who completed the run in her wheelchair. Terry and Karin made a real connection with one another as they tackled the 5 km together. As added motivation to our group of walkers and runners, a few vehicles stopped and made donations during the run!

Terry continues on this afternoon by himself as he heads south to his final stop at Mile Zero in Victoria on April 28th. Radio coverage continues so please tune in to The Eagle, Jack FM, and Ocean.

A huge thank you goes out to Shane Douglas for his amazing support and the successful completion of his goal. Shane has been a wonderful mentor for the KidStart Program and his participation in the KidStart Run has generated innumerable support. KidStart is proud to have a mentor like you!

Saturday 14 April 2012

KidStart Run Hits Campbell River

So sorry about the late delay in blog posting... lets just say after the 5 km run this morning,  it took me a while to make my way back home! But I have lots to report!

The morning started at 9:30 am when a group of volunteers met up at Spirit Square to set up tents and organize tables. Terry, after already running for 10 km earlier in the morning, looked in great spirits.

The walkers met up at McDonald's road at 10:30 am and headed out right away while the runners waited until 11:00 am. With our police escort leading the way, we began our run with Terry's grandson Brady setting the pace. Despite the fact that Brady has way shorter legs than me, he quickly took off ahead running at a great pace!

At various points in the run, our leaders Brady, Terry and Shane would wait for the group to catch up. As one of the slower runners I can really appreciate that they did this and it helped immensely to bring our group together. As Terry said before we began, this is not a race. Thank you Terry and Shane for making this a very inclusive event!

At one point in the run, I began to feel the effects of the sun and was certain I would have to stop and take a break, but before I could I noticed a sea of colour up ahead. Over a hundred Campbell River Minor Baseball players lined the side of the street in front of Nunns Creek Park to cheer us on... how could I stop now? Their smiles and waves and high fives were a huge inspiration to all the runners and personally helped me continue to the end.

Running into Spirit Square was incredible - with friends and family waving and calling our names. We made great time! Amazing speeches followed - thanks to everyone who spoke so eloquently and from the heart.

My family and I ate a delicious salmon burger and coleslaw and enjoyed the beautiful weather and contagious enthusiasm of the crowd.

So, how does Terry manage to run 10 km early in the morning, motivate a group of people to run another 5 km and then continue on running an additional 15 km this afternoon?  Well, I finally figured out his secret! It's a pocketful of Werthers Original Caramels!

Friday 13 April 2012

Day 11 - Achilles and Toenails, Oh My!

Terry and Shane hit the 300 km mark yesterday and today Terry will be over half way to his goal of 600 km and reaching Mile Zero in Victoria on April 28th. 

Shane has been pushing through the run with a sore Achilles tendon that was aggravated on a steep hill coming out of Holberg. We are sure he is looking forward to Sunday when he reaches his destination of Courtenay and his personal goal of running 375 km. Keep going Shane - we are all rooting for you!

When we asked Terry how he was holding up physically, he replied, "Excellent! I feel great! I've only lost 1 toenail!" 

?!?

Now, we are not long distance runners, but we will take Terry's word that this is quite an accomplishment!

Thursday 12 April 2012

Day 10 A Warm Welcome in Sayward

Terry and Shane were the recipients of a surprise reception this morning at the Marine Harvest Sayward North hatchery. Not only were our runners grateful for the warm welcome, but Joe Johnson and the Marine  Harvest crew also gave a donation!

KidStart Run cannot thank Marine Harvest enough for their continued generous support of Terry, Shane and all our runners. We encourage EVERYONE to come down to Spirit Square this Saturday, April 14th to enjoy a delicious salmon burger BBQ for only $5 - ALL proceeds go towards KidStart!

The weather for our runners this morning was overcast, but luckily no rain. By this afternoon they will be 7 km south of Roberts Lake.

Terry reports that he may have inadvertently picked his pace up a bit too high this morning - as he was running along the highway a police cruiser flashed his lights! Terry took that as a signal to slow down otherwise he may have blasted right through Campbell River today!

On another note: some of the ladies here at the John Howard Society office were getting a bit nervous about running 5 km with Terry and Shane on Saturday so we decided to do a pre-run run. Our co-worker dropped us off at McDonald's Road during our lunch break and waved goodbye as she sped off in a cloud of dust. By the time we hit the Ideal Cafe we were almost ready to quit and grab a burger and fries! Somehow we kept up the pace and with our lungs burning, ankles cracking, hips groaning, and legs wobbling we staggered into Spirit Square. As we all struggled to catch our breath, we collectively thought the same thing: How AMAZING are Terry and Shane for running 30 km every single day? We are truly astounded by the physical strength and mental dedication these runners have. We can't wait to run with you guys on Saturday!

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Day 9 An Uphill Battle

It was a long uphill battle for Terry and Shane this morning. Terry reports that the weather wasn't too bad but they did have a bit of a breeze to contend with.

On the positive side, after their run uphill this morning, they get to enjoy running downhill this afternoon. Everyone keep your fingers crossed that the wind stays at their back and the sun peaks out for our runners as they finish up for the day.

Terry, Shane and their support crew will spend the night in Sayward tonight and begin moving south to Campbell River tomorrow.

Tuesday 10 April 2012

Leaving Woss Vegas!

Terry and Shane continue to feel great as they tick of the kms!

Apologies to those who checked in on Easter Monday for an update... there was no cell service in Woss and Western Forest Products was closed for the holiday so they were unable to use a landline.

Today the guys move from Woss and head to Sayward. As of this morning they were 28 km south of Woss and had hit another milestone - 200 km!!!  Congratulations Terry and Shane!

Calorie consumption is still an issue for our runners. I am sure they are looking forward to running into Campbell River on April 14th and digging into the salmon BBQ that will be hosted by Marine Harvest. Everyone is welcome to come on down to Spirit Square at noon on this date and enjoy a yummy lunch while supporting Terry, Shane and all the Campbell River runners as they make their 5 km run into downtown Campbell River. 

Sunday 8 April 2012

Happy Easter - First Roadside Stop and Donate

April 8th finds our runners 30 km south of Port McNeill, heading for Woss, and running alongside the Nimpkish Lake with fabulous panoramic views that remind them of why it is wonderful to live and run on Vancouver Island.  The weather has been lovely this morning but starting to cloud over with rain in the forecast.

Although the Easter Bunny had not left anything in the ditches for them, the runners were delighted with the first "roadside stop and donate". Thank you to the kind donors who stopped and handed their donation over to the driver of the escort vehicle.

Despite their early start, Terry was happy to catch the news that Canada's Glenn Howard had won his fourth world curling championship and excited to share this news with the KidStart team. That news gave the runners a boost when they set out for the morning run at 7:30 am.  Each 15 km run takes approximately 1 hr 40 mins.  The afternoon run starts at 2:30 pm, so if you are on the road north of Woss today, that's the time to look out for them.

One more fun story from Terry: he had saved his last pair of training shoes to use for the first part of the run, trekking through the mud from Cape Scott.  At the end of that phase, the shoes were ready to go so he retired them onto the landmark shoe tree near Holberg - the place for "Lost Soles".  What a perfect resting place for the first pair of running shoes from the KidStart Run.

Here's a link to images of the tree for those who haven't seen it:

Holberg Shoe Tree - scroll down to see images

Happy Easter to Terry and Shane!  We're rooting for you!

Saturday 7 April 2012

How do you eat enough calories?

April 7th and the KidStart runners are 1½ km  south of Port McNeill at 11 am with another 15 km to run this afternoon.  A beautiful sunny day but the wind is starting to pick up so running into the wind this afternoon will mean more of a slog.  By the end of the day, they expect to reach their 150 km mark - as Terry says "his cup will be ¼ full" and Shane will have covered more than a third of his distance.

Terry tells us that both he and Shane are holding up well and their support team is amazing.  One of the biggest challenges is trying to eat enough calories.  They need 4½ thousand calories a day!  That's a lot of food to try to cram into three meals so the runners are spreading the calories over five meals each day.

Friday 6 April 2012

The First 100 km Mark

Day 4 of the run and the KidStart runners camp moved to Port McNeil.  The morning of day 5 saw Terry and Shane finish the last 5 km of the Holberg Road and, at last, hit pavement in sunny, warm weather with no wind. After the gruelling start to the run, Terry reports that it was a treat to run on level road as they covered the first 10 km of Highway 19. The runners report that their bodies are holding up and they're feeling enthusiastic especially as they passed their first 100 km mark this morning.

What a tremendous reception they are getting from everyone in this friendly community.  Drivers going by honk their support. Even better, the KidStart team reported that new mentors are signing up as a result of the publicity from the run.  This is Terry's number one goal - awareness of KidStart and the importance of mentoring.

Thursday 5 April 2012

Day 3 The Biggest Hurdle

Day three finds Terry and Shane in Holberg heading south to Port McNeil.

Question: How do you know you are at the northern tip of Vancouver Island in spring?
Answer: Rain, snow, sleet, and hail.  And Terry and Shane ran 15 km through all of it this morning!

Despite the fact that when we asked Terry to rate the run so far on a scale of 1-10 he couldn't come up with a number low enough, he and Shane continue to persevere.  Terry and Shane were both aware that this was going to be the hardest part of the run and their biggest hurdle. 

This afternoon they will run another 15 km and they will finally move from the muddy trails and gravel roads to Highway 19.  Overall they are in good spirits, helped out no doubt, by their team of 4 support people plus Terry's wife Judy.

Good luck Terry and Shane! We are all rooting for you guys! 

Wednesday 4 April 2012

KidStart Run Days 1 and 2

The KidStart Run has officially begun with Terry and Shane leaving Cape Scott yesterday morning. The storm that blew through Campbell River on Monday, travelled north and hit our runners full force on Tuesday. Fallen trees and branches blocked major routes on the Cape Scott trail, requiring Terry and Shane to detour through creeks and bush. It was a long, wet and windy 7 hours for the guys to run a brutal 30 km of weather-beaten track. 

Today, the rain has held off and the sky is starting to brighten. As of 11:00 am this morning, Terry and Shane have already completed 20 km from St. Jo's to Holberg. They plan to run another 15 km this afternoon, leaving Holberg and heading south to Port Hardy.

Terry commented that the hospitality they have received has been fabulous and he cannot say enough good things about how well he and Shane have been treated. We are sure after the storm on day 1, they are fully appreciating warm receptions at the end of their day. 

Terry reports that he and Shane are in good spirits and doing well!

Tuesday 3 April 2012

"If we can save one young person from falling through the cracks, 600 k is not that far..."



Well everyone, today is the day!  After months of training Terry Kratzmann begins his journey across Vancouver Island from tip to tip all in the name of a great cause - KidStart!

In Terry's words:

I volunteered as a KidStart mentor for more than three years. Over that time, the teenage boy I mentored made huge positive changes that his mother described as “beyond my dreams.” Now I want to help the KidStart Mentoring Program continue to make a difference in the lives of vulnerable children and youth. I will be running Vancouver Island tip to tip in April 2012 to raise awareness and funds for KidStart. I will be joined by friends and running clubs along the way. Please support my efforts with a donation and/or by coming out to cheer me on! “if we can save one young person from falling through the cracks 600 k is not that far...”

Terry begins his run at Cape Scott with Shane Douglas from Courtenay.  Good luck guys!!!

To support Terry, Shane, Jim or any other KidStart runner, please visit our website.

Sunday 1 April 2012

Meet the Sponsors - Marine Harvest


A delicious salmon burger for only $5?  Where? When? Who? Why?

Where: Campbell River's Spirit Square
When: April 14th at 12:00 pm
Who: Marine Harvest Canada
Why: Marine Harvest Canada is proud to support the KidStart Run and will be providing yummy salmon burgers for everyone to enjoy as we support Terry Kratzmann, Shane Douglas and all the KidStart runners as they complete the 5 km leg of the run into Spirit Square.

These guys really know how to throw a BBQ!  Check it out!


Meet the Sponsors - 98.5 Ocean FM and 103.1 Jack FM






KidStart Run is excited to announce that two premier  radio stations in Victoria, 98.5 Ocean FM and 103.1 Jack FM, have become official radio sponsors!  Stay tuned to both these stations for updates on Terry and Victoria's own Jim Finlayson!

Meet the Sponsors - Sure Copy

Check out the posters for the KidStart Run being posted around your community! Professional poster adverstising for the KidStart Run would not be possible without the generous support of our local Sure Copy! They continue to amaze us with their repeated support to local causes and events. Thank you SURE COPY!

Meet the Runners -- Jim Finlayson

KidStart is proud to have Jim Finlayson of Victoria, BC, supporting our run!  Jim is a former Canadian Marathon champion and this is only one of his major accomplishments in the field of long distance running.

Jim is participating in the KidStart Run because he believes the lives of children and youth can be transformed by a program like KidStart. Jim is aware that mentors give their time every week to support kids who are facing many challenges in their lives. Jim and all the other runners participating in the KidStart run, are doing this to support the kids and mentors who make this program so special.