Canadian Death Race, an extreme racing event in which racers journey over three different mountain summits, cross a river in a raft, and run part of the course in the dark, takes place in Grande Cache Alberta each August. The race promotes tourism and helps the town to raise funds in a number of ways. Last year AU student Kimberlea Anderson ran in support of the Eagle Women’s Emergency Shelter, and had this to say about her experience:
I ran my first race last August long weekend. Of course I picked the hardest one: The Canadian Death Race which takes place each year in Grande Cache, Alberta. My reasoning was that if I knew I could do it–I wouldn’t want to. I completed 58 km before I timed out in the third leg. I am 45-year-old student of AU and have never done anything like this in my life, but in the end one of the hardest, most gruelling physical things to do became one of the most positive life experiences I have been blessed with. I ran in support of the Eagle Women’s Emergency Shelter, though the fundraising wasn’t as successfull as I had hoped. The flooding in this area caused damage to more than the shelter and many families and individuals had other priorities.
This year I am part of a team that will run for the Shelter, plus our children will run the kids’ race (5 km). We have two 15-year-olds, two 13-year-olds, three 6-year-olds and hopefully one 3-year-old. We all hope to do amazing things this year.
Check the websites of both the Canadian Death Race and The Shelter if you would like more information. The Shelter is accepting pledges/donations if any readers care to give. The people of Grande Cache are truly an amazing group, and this is an event that accomplishes more than they will ever know.
Canadian Death Race – http://www.canadiandeathrace.com/
Eagle Women’s Emergency Shelter, Black Diamond, AB – http://eagle.shelternet.ca/library/SNetCore.cfm
