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Wounded Warriors warm-up event hits the road Sunday

Runners set course from Sooke to Sidney
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Wounded Warrior runner Marissa Morison, a former Otter Point resident and B.C. paramedic, runs near Cambell River in March 2022. A Wounded Warriors practice run takes place this Sunday (Feb. 5) from Sooke to Sidney in preparation for the main run from Feb. 26 to March 5. (Contributed – John Penner)

A 60-kilometre run from Sooke to Sidney will serve as a practice of sorts for Wounded Warriors runners on Sunday (Feb. 5).

The group of first responders, veterans, serving military members and civilians are part of the Wounded Warrior Run B.C., raising funds for ill and injured Canadian Armed Forces members, veterans, first responders and their families.

Runners are scheduled to leave the Royal Canadian Legion Parking lot in Sooke at 10 a.m. with stops at the Langford and Saanich fire departments before arriving at Sidney’s Community Safety Building around 4:30 p.m.

“We want to connect with all the communities on the Island,” said run director Jacqueline Zweng. “We are raising money for all first responders, including the military. Everyone faces trauma in the line of duty, whether at home or abroad, no matter what their uniform looks like.”

Zweng said the Wounded Warriors One Day Run event serves as a warm-up to the main fundraising event scheduled to run from Feb. 26 to March 5, when the eight-person team runs from Port Hardy to Victoria.

The eight runners will cover a distance of more than 700 kilometres relay-style.

Wounded Warriors Canada, a privately-funded charity, provides a wide range of programs and services for individual members and families affected by operational stress injuries.

For the one-day event, alumni from past runs are invited to participate.

“There’s always lots of people that come out to show their support,” Zweng said. “We’re incredibly grateful from the smallest gesture to the biggest donation.”

For more information, visit woundedwarriorrunbc.com.

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SIDEBAR (Sooke only)

Motorists may want to avoid Highway 14 for a few hours on Feb. 5 as the Wounded Warrior Run one-day event takes between Sooke and Sidney.

According to the District of Sooke, delays are expected between 10 a.m. to noon in an area from Sooke Legion to the four-lane entranceway on Highway 14 to allow runners and emergency vehicles to participate in the event.

The Wounded Warrior Run raises funds and awareness for Wounded Warriors Canada, a charitable organization that provides life-changing and family-saving programs and services to members of the Canadian Armed Forces, veterans, first responders and their families impacted by operational stress injuries as post-traumatic stress disorder.