The Lighthouse to Lighthouse Half Marathon and 5K is still looking for a few more participants.
The Kincardine & Community Health Care Foundation is looking for a few more 5K runners for the event, which will take place on Sunday, October 4th.
Mark Womack, the Capital Campaign Manager for the foundation shared with Bayshore News “Fortunately, the half marathon is already sold out. We had a phenomenal response, so we have three hundred half marathoners signed up already, but we still have about 45 spots leftover at the 5K level. So, you can come out to run a 5K-route from the Kincardine Lighthouse, back to the Kincardine Lighthouse the same morning as the half-marathon.”
Anyone wishing to participate should be able to walk or run 5 kilometres in about 90 minutes in order to take part, as the event will have around 500 total participants total between the two routes.
All of the money raised through the Lighthouse to Lighthouse event will go towards the redevelopment project at the Kincardine Hospital, which includes an expanded and enhanced emergency department, an updated medical imaging department with a new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, and an enhanced laboratory.
The new MRI machine would be the first for Bruce County, and is part of a project that will ultimately cost $80 million.
“This is really the future of the hospital in our community, and we’re trying to raise, as a foundation, $18 million towards that goal,” said Womack.
So far, the foundation has raised $14 million of its current $18 million fundraising goal.
When reflecting on the money already raised, he said “It’s absolutely amazing. Construction is going to start a year from now, and we’re going to almost triple the size of the existing emergency department and the medical imaging department and laboratory. The community is not only going to see not only a better hospital with unbelievably up-to-date facilities, but it’s also going to help us attract more family doctors to the area because when you have a beautiful hospital, in an amazing community next to Lake Huron, I mean, who can resist coming up and practicing there?”
Anyone looking to complete the 5K run in October can sign up through lighthousetolighthouse.ca.
Womack also shared his excitement for getting closer to the fundraising goal for the foundation, and being able to have an MRI machine within the community.
“It’s going to cut wait times for anybody needing an MRI in our area, and of course one of the paramount things about having a hospital in our community, is that we have so many visitors and cottagers that come up and spend time and enjoy spending time there, they need to know that they have healthcare available and an emergency room that’s always available to address their needs should anything happen when they’re visiting us.”