Why this B.C. runner keeps returning to The Million Reasons Run

Rob Yager of Quesnel, B.C., will be participating in The Million Reasons Run for the fifth time in 2025, in support of the B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. “I have such a great time raising money and trying to set a new monthly kilometre total that I have to come back!” he says. “It’s an incredible feeling to be a part of this, and seeing the posts of people all over Canada trying to do their small part.”

The Million Reasons Run is a virtual fundraiser that gives you the chance to make a positive impact on the world with every run. Supporting 13 children’s hospitals across Canada, the fundraiser has helped advance lifesaving treatments for countless children. This May, The Million Reasons Run is back for its fifth year–and now’s your chance to join the race to save lives, like Yager did.

Like many runners, Yager, a maintenance foreman at a recreation centre, got into the sport during the pandemic. “I had some health issues, and my doctor said I had to make some changes,” he says. “So I started running, and I enjoyed it.”

He was looking for ways to challenge himself further, and saw a Facebook post about The Million Reasons Run. “Running as may kilometres as you want, plus raising money for children’s hospitals–it just sounded perfect,” he says.

“I used to coach hockey when my kids were young,” he adds. “They’re grown up now, and I wanted something to be involved in.”  

Every year of the challenge, Yager tries to run farther each month than he ran during that month the previous year–as well as trying to raise more money every year. 

To stoke people’s interest in donating to his Million Reasons Run fundraising page, he pledges to do something silly when he reaches certain fundraising milestones, posting videos online. “People seem to get a kick out of them, and it adds fuel to my fire,” Yager says. “The first year, I set my fundraising goal at $2,000, and every time I raised $500, I’d do something different–like running in a tutu, or once I ran dressed up as Olaf from Frozen.” Once, he ate a tablespoon of wasabi. “I don’t recommend that,” he laughs. “It was terrible!

When motivation flags, Yager sometimes listens to tunes. “Last year, around the 280 km mark for the month, I was starting to struggle,” he says. “I listened to When Legends Rise by Godsmack, and the words fit perfectly. 

“This challenge has been a great way for me to step out of my comfort zone. It has made me a better person, and I am very thankful for that.”

All donations go through SickKids Foundation and are then distributed to the children’s hospital foundation(s) closest to the given donor. Your donations fund lifesaving, groundbreaking research, helping to uncover new cures and less invasive treatments for children across Canada. Learn more about the kids who are impacted and participating hospitals, here.

Don’t miss your chance to take the 31-day challenge and make every kilometre count this May. To learn more and sign up for the 2025 Million Reasons Run, click here.