Canadians look to raise the most money ever while running a marathon

Six Canadians are looking to raise the most money ever raised while running a marathon. On Sunday, May 31 at 8 a.m. MDT, the runners will broadcast the Guinness World Record attempt live on Facebook and YouTube as part of the virtual Calgary Marathon Charity Challenge to raise awareness and funds for mitochondrial disease. The team is Ed Bickley, Jeremy Deere, Sabina Lokanc, Blaine Penny, Graham Sherman and Tom Taylor.

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Penny, who is the co-founder and CEO of MitoCanada, has a son, Evan, who lives with mitochondrial disease. The runner routinely credits his son with enabling him to dig deep during his runs, and Sunday will be no exception.

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How can you help?

MitoCanada is a charitable organization formed in 2010 by a group of parents of children with mitochondrial disease, a chronic genetic disorder that can cause physical, developmental and cognitive disabilities. You can tune in to Facebook or YouTube live and donate during the marathon run, as this is the only money that will count towards the world record (however, any donation is appreciated). For runners starting in the same location, there will be a staggered start, to promote physical distancing.

Your money will go towards providing diagnosed individuals, their families and caregivers with the support they need to improve quality of life, while raising public awareness of the disease and advancing Canadian research activities.