Cochrane sports fundraiser comes to tearful conclusion after great decade
There were lots of smiles, hugs and even a few tears shed on New Year’s Eve in Cochrane, after a 10year fundraising odyssey came to an end.
Martin Parnell has been holding his annual New Year’s Eve Run and Walk since 2010, when he ran a final marathon in his hometown following a record-breaking endeavour in which he completed 250 such races during that year.
Over the next decade, the 64-year-old runner made the New Year’s Eve event one of the town’s most popular get-togethers as it raised money for a series of international charities, from Right to Play, a playground in Tanzania and Free To Run.
But in this the final year, Parnell decided to stay close to home, raising proceeds for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Cochrane and area.
He said it was a wonderful way to bring things to a conclusion.
“We were so lucky with the weather. We’d never had a plus-temperature year over the 10 years until this last one. It was a gorgeous day,” Parnell said.
He had hoped to bring in $10,000 from the series of runs and walks. The total now sits at $6,760, with several sponsor pledges still to be counted and a cut-off date of Jan. 30.
“We will have raised $75,000 over the 10 years, and when it was finished there was a tear in my eye, I have to admit,” he added.
“It was a little bit hard to take but it is good to finish on a high like that. Now that it is over, you feel some pride getting it all done over those years.”
Two months ago, Parnell suffered a stroke and needed urgent care at Calgary’s Foothills Hospital.
That prevented him from running the usual marathon distance he excels at, but he joined in all the races to log about 21 kilometres during the six hours of fundraising.
And he isn’t putting away those running shoes just yet.
This week he will begin training for the Boston Marathon to be held in April.