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Why would two 75 year old women run from Sturgeon to North Bay?

'By the time all the money comes in, we’ll be over $14,000. I enjoy fundraising like this, just two old ladies running, but the amount really surprised me' Sandy Foster running to raise money for Nipissing Serenity Hospice.

It was a dark and foggy start to the day when Sandy Foster and Pam Hansen hit the road around 6:30 Sunday.

The friends were putting months of training to the test, as they began their fundraising run from Sturgeon Falls to North Bay, in support of Nipissing Serenity Hospice.

“I started crying when I started doing the first 5 km because I thought ‘we’re really doing this. How many people will this help?’” said Foster, who came up with the idea.

Initially, the goal was to raise $7,500, a number chosen to tie in with the fact both women are 75 years old.  

“By the time all the money comes in, we’ll be over $14,000. I enjoy fundraising like this, just two old ladies running, but the amount really surprised me. I don’t know if it was the letter writing campaign, because I did send out a lot of letters. But then people heard about it, and I think the hospice is something people really want,” said Foster.  

The pair relayed their way to the hospice site, each completing the equivalent of a half marathon when it was all done.

“The first 20 km the traffic was good, the weather was good, but the last 10 there were lots of cars, lots of humidity and it was really hot, which made it kind of tough. We were a little bit slower, but we were still about 45 minutes faster than we thought we would be,” said Hansen.

“So many people came up to me before the run and said, ‘I want to give you money, I looked after my mom, I looked after my dad. I wish there had been a hospice that we could have had.’ There are so many people in North Bay who have already gone through looking after a loved one at the end of life, and how hard it is for them. So I’m hoping it will be easier in the future. And it will be because we have a hospice coming,” grinned Hansen.

The women were joined at the start of the run by Drew Mitchell and Karen-Anne Amyotte, who both ran the entire distance, ahead of the women.

Mitchell learned a few things on his first long run, like the importance of staying hydrated, and knowing just how much the human body can handle.

During the hardest part of the run, the reality of what they were doing, really hit home for Mitchell.

“Karen-Anne and I were starting to hit a wall, and in running when you’re either mentally fatigued or getting physically fatigued, you kind of push through. At that point I started to think, in the grand scheme of things, the pain is nothing compared to what other people are going through, and that’s why we’re here. We are doing this run for people who are not able to do it, and the pain that we’re enduring over these 40 kilometres is a fraction of what these people are going through. We’re doing it for those people and their families. That helped us push on,” said Mitchell.

“I have family who have used hospice services in other communities and just knowing what it provides. Being relatively new to Northern Ontario, when I found out there wasn’t a hospice here, I saw the need. That is why this is important to me.”

Running partner Karen-Anne Amyotte has fundraised with Foster before, travelling with her to Kenya to support Foster’s Hope2Kenya mission.

“I totally invited myself to come along on this trek. It was fun to fundraise for such a great cause, one that North Bay needs,” said Amyotte.

Once in North Bay, other runners joined in the final leg. The run ended at the construction site, where they were greeted with loud cheers from family and friends.

“I always find long runs are very emotional for me. And this is my community, I’ve lived here all my life, so it was great to see everybody here supporting us and the hospice,” said Amyotte.

Hospice board chair Mathilde Gravelle Bazinet said it was a great day to celebrate.

She says it is a fine example of the creative ideas people come up with to fundraise.

“It’s such an exciting day. This is unbelievable. This really raises the awareness within our community about our hospice and what a great cause it is,” said Gravelle Bazinet.

“And next year at this time, we will be having the official opening of our hospice. The contractor has cleared the land, and they’re going to be starting to set in the foundation.”

It was a satisfying day for the runners. They surpassed their financial goal and completed the run faster than expected.

“I’m exhausted, but I’m really excited about how much money was raised,” said Foster.

After replenishing with some food and drink, Hansen was raring to go.

“I could do it again,’ she whispered.