Road relay race targets diabetes prevention

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Bigstone Health and Wellness Cenre, the town of Slave Lake, Keeweetinok Lakes Regional Health Authority 15, the Municipal District of Opportunity, and the International Wellness Society held their first diabetes road relay race May 13 to raise money for diabetes prevention. The result was twice as good as organizers expected: the run brought in $13,396 by May 19, with outstanding pledges expected to raise the total to $15,000.

"It was an incredible response," Patrick Gladue, the fitness and lifestyles co-ordinator for Bigstone Cree Nation said. The cheering section was larger than expected too: about 500 showed up for the post-race celebration, whereas organizers planned for 400.

Gladstone and Bigstone's diabetes consultant, Josie C. Cardinal, originated the idea for the race. To Auger and Gladstone, the race, and even more, the "path of wellness" they hope to help build with the money, epitomizes a positive lifestyle change that they hope people will recognize and adopt as their own.

Most of the money (70 per cent) will be put towards the planning of a path that will encourage people to get out walking, cycling, and roller blading. The remainder of the money raised goes to the Canadian Diabetes Association for other initiatives.

Gladue says Bigstone hopes to partner with the municipal district to "get (work on the path) moving within the next year," since the M.D. had already planned for a path "and they were a major part of the event as well, as they helped with a lot of the planning and development of the race." Gladue adds that the neighboring community of Slave Lake is in the process of developing a similar seven km path that has already cost more than half a million dollars and is not yet finished.

Gladue says the race itself both promoted awareness of diabetes and was "a vehicle to promote healthier lifestyles. So the two were pretty much hand in hand, diabetes being a lifestyle disease."

Eleven teams, about 170 people, participated in the 125 km run from Slave Lake to Wabasca. There were between 80 and 100 volunteers for the day-long event that began at 7 a.m. and ended at 10 p.m.

First place finishers were Fever/Scope Inkjets from Edmonton with an official time of nine hours, 21 minutes and 36 seconds. Slow Start from St. Albert was second with a time of 9:32:07; in third place was Roland Michener High School from Slave Lake, which turned in a time of 9:55:15. Runners up were Red Road Runners, Keeweetinok Lakes RHA 15, RCMP Road Runners, Bigstone Blazers (Wabasca), Mistassiny High School Staff (Wabasca), Sugar Rayz (Slave Lake), Healing Wind (Wabasca), St. Theresa School Staff (Wabasca).

First place prizes were Diabetes Road Relay windshirts, Cool Max athletic socks and Treaty 8 centennial hats, provided by the Diabetes Road Relay Committee, Bigstone Fitness Centre and the Bigstone Cree Nation administration.

Melvin Beaver raised the most money ($1,655), followed by Winston Manossa ($1,217). Beaver was awarded a round trip to Jasper and two nights accommodation, courtesy of Greyhound Transportation and the Sawridge Hotel. Manossa gets two nights accommodation and meals at the Blue Lake Adventure Lodge in Hinton.

The Bigstone Blazers were the team that raised the most money: $4,437. Each person received $50 gift certificates from Sport Chek and Cool Max athletic socks.

Gladue credits extensive corporate, small business and organizational support from both the Native and non-Native community.

"Everybody really just got behind it and we had lots of great support from our committee and the community as a whole and all the organizations that got behind it were just phenomenal," he said. "And then, all the partipants were the ones that did all the fund-raising."