An upcoming half marathon will directly support a $79 million hospital upgrade project in Kincardine.
The Kincardine and Community Health Care Foundation is ready to open registration for the new Lighthouse to Lighthouse Half Marathon and 5K fundraiser. Capital Campaign Manager Mark Womack says the idea was formed by a bunch of people that have run previous events, and they realized there was a unique opportunity based on the location of two local lighthouses.
"It's almost a perfect route from the Point Clark Lighthouse to the Kincardine Lighthouse. It's almost a half marathon in itself, so we added a little diversion to get the distance, and it'll be 21 and a half kilometres on Sunday, October 4," Womack shared.
There will also be a shorter 5K run for those that don't want to tackle a half marathon. Since announcing the event, Womack says they've had almost 300 people sign up for the newsletter to stay informed, and they're getting interest from runners across the province.
"This is a way of bringing people from both our community and surrounding communities together. I've got emails from people in Toronto, Windsor, Peterborough and even Ottawa, from people wanting to come and participate in our community," he said excitedly.
Early bird pricing registration is open March 12-May 31. Individuals or teams can run, and participants can go out and find sponsorships for themselves or their teams. Womack says all the funds will stay in the area to help support a vital project.
"All that money raised stays in our community, and it's going to go towards building that new redeveloped hospital. So this is going to be great for tourism and local businesses with people coming in for the run," he added.
The provincial government has challenged the community to raise $18 million to put towards the project at the Kincardine Hospital, which will involve major upgrades and expansion, as well as a new MRI machine.
"We’re proud to launch the Lighthouse to Lighthouse Half Marathon & 5K and grateful to everyone who chooses to support local care through this new tradition," said Becky Fair, President. "We’re thrilled to bring a new event to the region that blends personal achievement with meaningful impact."
More information can be found at LighthouseToLighthouse.ca.
