Over 5,000 people celebrate Mother’s Day at SportChek event

Over 5,000 Calgarians celebrated Mother’s Day Sunday in a time-honoured city tradition: by going for a run.

It was the annual SportChek Mother’s Day Run, Walk and Wheel event.

Runner Lola Hamdan was there with her 10-month-old daughter Celine Hemstock and her aunt Mary-Ann Owens.

“It’s my first year as a mom,” Hamdan said. “We have another baby on the way and we’re just out here today because I want Celine to be exposed to being fit, having fun and it’s just a good way to be involved in your community – its just exciting and fun.

Lola Hamdan (C), her 10-month-old daughter Celine Hemstock (R) and aunt Mary-Ann Owens participated in the SportChek Mother's Day Run Sunday in southwest Calgary.

“I think it’s really important to make an example for the little ones,” Hamdan added. “Plus, having another baby on the way you have to be very healthy, keep moving, stay fit.

“It just felt like a fun event to get out to.”

Kirsten Fleming, Run Calgary’s executive director, said many of the families attending the run were supporting the event’s charities, the Canadian Tire Jumpstart and the Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

“There’s a lot of families who have been fundraising and coming to this event for 10-plus years because their kids and family went through the NICU,” Fleming said, “so it really means a lot to people.

“We’ve already raised over $40,000 as of this morning,” she added.

Kirsten Fleming, executive director of Run Calgary, said race registration has returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Fleming said event registration has returned to pre-pandemic levels after a post-pandemic dip.

“There’s 5, 174 people who have 5,174 different reasons for being here today,” she said. “The event really does touch people in different ways and resonates because of their own personal experiences.

 “We ask in the registration, why are you running?” she said. “And the reasons vary from ‘health and fitness’ to ‘I used to do this event with my mom when I was growing up and I want to keep her memory alive’, to ‘this is brand new, we’ve never done it and we’re coming out as a family for the very first time’ – so it’s a super-special event and we’re so glad we get to be a part of people’s Mother’s Day tradition.”

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With files from Tyler Barrow