The second annual colour run for a heartwarming cause will occur this Sunday (September 2).

Vaughn's Memorial Colour Run will see runners of all ages run through a cloud of colour while they continue to raise money and awareness for pediatric cardiac care.

The event hits close to the heart for organizers, Jaime and Greg Sawchuk, their son Vaughn passed away at 28 days old after fighting for his little life. 

While Jaime was pregnant with Vaughn, they discovered he had a condition known as Ebstein's Anomaly which affects the anatomical construction and functionality of the heart. With Jaime's situation being critical, the Sawchuk's spent a great deal of time at the Stollery in Edmonton as they are the leading medical centre for pediatric cardiac intensive care.

Wanting to give back, the Sawchuk's have done an incredible job supporting families who have children suffering from serious heart defects. The experience at the Stollery has motivated them to help ease the burden for other families while creating a legacy in Vaughn's name. "The run goes alongside our foundation, raising money for the PCICU (Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit) at the Stollery,  Children's Heart Disease research and the Little Heart Heroes Camp. The run is a 5km,10km walk/run whatever you decide and a 1km fun run for the kids; basically, at every kilometre, you will have coloured powder of a different colour tossed on you."

Their inaugural run last year brought out 100 runners in total, and the Sawchuk's are thrilled to report that they have already matched that number this year in pre-registrations compared to 60 last year. The rise in numbers could be attributed to more people learning about the cause/event, as well as the addition of sponsored colour stations. "It has been certainly different having to go out and talk to businesses, but we have been really fortunate to have quite a bit of sponsorship so we are really happy to have the community support."

While pre-registration is closed, you can still join the fun by registering on the day of. 

The efforts of the Sawchuks is not necessarily monetary driven; Jaime says raising understanding and awareness that the Stollery provides care to families all over Alberta remains the focus. "We are definitely hoping to raise the awareness of what we are trying to do. As far as money, I don't know if I ever really have a set goal but I think that with sponsorship alone we will make that $5000 mark right now."

With last year's run being so warmly received, the Sawchuk's are looking forward to this Sunday. "It was really nice to see last year that everyone had a really fun time. We had a lot of positive feedback and people said they would definitely be back with their families and there was just a lot of smiles and laughter. Personally, for me, it was amazing to see that."

Race kit pickup for pre-registered runners will occur tomorrow (August 30) from 5 to 8 pm at the main stage in Mitford Park while walk-up registrations begin at 8 am on Sunday (September 2).

Below is a timeline of scheduled events:

  • 8 am: Race Package Pickup/ Walk Up Registration
  • 8:45-9 am: Kiddie Warm Up
  • 9 am- Kiddie 1km
  • 9:30 am- Warm Up by Tribe Team Training
  • 9:45 am- Speeches by Mayor Jeff Genung, Banff-Airdrie MP Blake Richards, and the Sawchuk's
  • 10 am- 10km start
  • 10:15am- 5km start

Guy's Cafe and Bakery, the Cochrane Fun Van, as well as prizes, music, and painting are all planned for the event. The Sawchuk's have 500 tickets still remaining for their West Jet raffle draw which includes one round trip for two anywhere West Jet flies for $2 and if interested contact Jaime at vaughnsawchukfoundation@gmail.com

You can learn more about this incredible, heartwarming organization HERE.

 

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A Rainbow of Runners at Cochrane Colour Run