The annual Terry Fox run is a staple in this community, drawing dozens of runners, walkers and bikers each year while raising money in the process.
This year on Sept. 14, one local man hopes to up the ante and make it a bit more challenging.
Mike Walmsley, a member of the Westlock Rural Fire Department, is going to up the ante this year by attempting the 10-kilometre route in full personal protective equipment, including an oxygen tank.
“I guess I have a bit of a reputation for not doing things the easy way,” he said.
This will be the first year Walmsley has taken part in the Terry Fox Run, although he’s been involved in many other cancer-related fundraisers.
The big inspiration this year, he said, is his sister undergoing cancer-related surgery.
Her diagnosis was especially frustrating for him, he said, because she’s been an athlete her entire life and lived a healthy lifestyle and got cancer, while he has “lived like a heathen.”
“Because she’s not going to be able to run this year I thought I would do it for her,” he said. “Then I thought it’s not going to be easy for her, so why should it be for me?”
The biggest challenge for Walmsley will be using the air tanks and swapping them out for fresh tanks along the route, which he expects to complete in roughly one and a half hours.
“They’re rated as a 30-minute tank. Depending on how hard you’re working, you can burn them up in as little as 10,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of practice and a lot of experience; under hard conditions I can usually stretch a tank under fairly hard conditions to about 20 minutes.”
That still means he will need at least five tanks to complete the route, which will mean having people on his team monitoring his vital signs and ensuring his safety during the race.
In deciding the complete the route in full bunker gear, Walmsley said he wanted to issue a challenge to every other firefighter out there to do the same thing, thereby raising the profile of the event and raising more money for and draw more attention to the cause.
He has set as his own personal goal to raise $2,500 himself, but he emphasized the important thing is just for people to donate money wherever they can and to think about the impact of cancer in this community and beyond.
Travis Darling, recreation program supervisor for the Town of Westlock, said he hasn’t heard much interest from the public so far in running the event, but hasn’t been in Westlock long enough to speculate as to the reasons.
“I want to get a year under my belt here and try to figure out why,” he said. “A lot of it has to do with the kids running it at school, either the Friday before or the Monday after.”
Nonetheless, he emphasized the importance of taking part in this event and keeping the memory of Terry Fox alive.
“It’s about connection. Everyone has been touched by someone or knows someone who has had cancer or has dealt with cancer,” he said. “It’s support based, and about getting out to enjoy yourself and raise money but also awareness that it’s still a prevalent issue.”
He added participants don’t have to run; they can walk, bike or rollerblade the 10-kilometre route around the Rotary Trail.
The event starts at 1 p.m. on Sept. 14 at the Westlock Rotary Spirit Centre, but those who want to get their pledges processed should arrive a half hour earlier.
