The hockey marathon raised $1.4 million for the Children's Hospital Foundation

Content of the article

After 262 hours of hard work on the ice, 43 Albertans set the Guinness World Record for the longest hockey game Tuesday in support of childhood cancer research.

The teams – Team Hope and Team Cure – pushed their endurance to the limit during 11 days of ice time at Chestermere Leisure Center and left players with bumps, bruises and sore muscles.

Content of the article

Content of the article

Alex Halat, captain of Team Hope, said the pain after the kids' hockey marathon was like being hit by a bus.

“Your body is battered, it's absolutely battered,” he said.

Khalat, who normally wears size 11 shoes, said her feet swelled up so much they barely fit and she went up two sizes.

“Overall, if this event saves one child's life, it was all worth it.”

The Kids' Hockey Marathon raised $1.4 million for the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation — a “tremendous achievement,” said event director Leslie Plumlee.

“It was amazing for us to raise this kind of money to help a child,” he said.

“To break the million dollar mark … brought tears to my eyes”

Team Hope's Kathleen Kyle, one of two women who took to the ice for the marathon, said it was a great experience overall, but like everyone else, she was tired.

“I can't stay awake, every bone, joint and muscle in my body hurts right now,” Kyle said.

This is Kyle's first year running the marathon, a part of the event that is special to him because his daughter, Hannah, was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder when she was 11 months old.

Content of the article

Content of the article

“Children's Hospital is doing amazing research with childhood cancers, but it's also helping hard-to-treat blood disorders.”

He said that Hannah was not really in trouble, but was at risk of being in trouble.

“For us, it was a world where we could give back, even in the smallest way.”

Fundraising will continue until the end of April, so those who missed the marathon can still show their support.

“Breaking the million-dollar mark brought tears to my eyes,” Khalat said.

“The players have been through a lot of challenges both physically and mentally, but none of it would have been possible without the support of all the volunteers.”

This year, more than 2,300 volunteers helped to hold the game. “We are delighted and delighted that the event was a success,” he said.

Hockey Marathon has changed the way to support the health of players

Since the first game in 2012, the Hockey Marathon has raised more than $6 million for the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation with events held in 2014, 2020, 2022 and this year.

Content of the article

During the previous events, Halat said that there were many adjustments to make it successful and improve the health of the players.

“Logistics — from food to sleeping quarters to ice maintenance; There's a lot of little things that come into play.”

Halat said one of the biggest changes in her first two years running the marathon was her diet.

“For the first couple of games, we had pizza, hot dogs and hamburgers. Since then, we have learned to ask for help from outside.”

Nutritionists and medical staff are attending events to care for the players.

Khalat talked about the possibility of passing the torch to someone else for the next marathon. “If you asked me today, I would say no, I don't think I can play again because of how I feel physically, but give us a call in a month, who knows, that might change.”

“I hope this event continues for many years – I don't know if I can physically play it, but whoever does, I wish them the best of luck,” said Khalat.

“We don't want to see the event completely scrapped.”

Plumlee said for the players, it's a matter of healing and getting feeling back in their legs.

With files from Scott Strasser and Michael Rodriguez

Content of the article