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On September 18th, Peter, Sean, Michael L. and Michael W. set forth on the 6th Annual 24-Hour Charity Walk. Starting at 12:00am on September 18th, these four amazing guys threw on their running shoes and headed towards the city. 82.5km later and what would normally be a 1hr drive, they arrived at Polson Pier.
This year, they walked in support of the Pinball Clemons Foundation Mentorship Fund. This fund supports the most marginalized youth in our communities and provides mentorship and exclusive opportunities as they pursue their post-secondary education.
Mentorship that helps develop life skills and supports the financial literacy and mental health of today's youth is near and dear to the hearts of this year's walkers. Growing up, each participant has been the beneficiary of amazing mentorship, and is excited for the opportunity to help support in some small way.
We asked the captain of the walk to answer a few questions below. Here's what he had to say!
Why have you decided to do the 24-hour walk challenge?
Each year, this group spends a full day of the year experiencing a relatively small amount of physical pain that consistently chips away at your mental state. As the experience wears on each successive hour, the temptation to tap out grows stronger, and only the support from friends, family and others - in the form of motivational messages and donations to a great cause - gives us the gas we need to keep moving. Each member of our group recognizes the unbelievable mentorship we have received in our lives and understands the value it provided in years to come. Similarly, in the days and weeks following each year's walk, the bruises and blisters heal but the value that the short-term pain was able to provide to others remains in perpetuity.
At the end of the day, we have to understand why we do what we do, not just do what we do. Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. - Pinball Clemons
Do you have a favourite memory from the previous 5 walks?
In 2016, it was potentially the closest we've ever been to a participant quitting. We were about 70km and 19 hours into the walk, and the pain was simply becoming too much. We'd done as much as we knew to help with the swelling in the legs and had just about run out of tricks to manage pain. During a quick stop (if you stop for more than a couple of minutes, your muscles seize up and it's incredibly painful to continue), participant Vince said "I think this time really might be it". In an effort to focus on our pace, we had our phones away for the last few hours, and didn't realize the recent inflow of donations. I happened to pull my phone out there and told Vince that since our last check, 15 more friends and family had donated, including one that attached the message "I can't believe what an impact you guys are making, keep it up!". Vince looked at me, reached out his hand, and together we pulled him up and kept going. We walked another 20km after that, right to the finish line of our inaugural 24 hour walk.
Congratulations to Peter, Sean, Michael L. and Michael W. on another amazing walk! Mentorship is our key differentiator as the development of a healthy network allows youth to thrive into adulthood. Thanks to the support of groups like the 24hr charity walk, we will be able to provide invaluable mentorship to youth in our community.
Click Here to learn more about the mentorship fund.
24 Walk Event Gallery