Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation

We all have different reasons for running in the 2021 Run For Women from Shoppers Drug Mart LOVE YOU, with each one as important as the next.

Here, we are sharing responses from participants about their own reasons for running, and say thank you to those who have added their voice to the cause!

Why do YOU run?

• "My very close friend’s daughter died of suicide and it has so deeply impacted my life and my daughter’s as well. My friend and I run to honour her daughter and this year my daughter will join us to honour her friend as well!" - Anonymous
  
  
• "I'm signing up this year because I know how much of a difference the HOPE platform makes for women who are struggling during and following their pregnancies. I'm proud to be part of such an important initiative and to know that funds raised will help expand Dr. Kingston's work and research to impact more women." - Breanne Fisher
  
  
• "Mental health is such a journey. May we all tread softly on our souls as we go." - Anonymous
  
  
• “The run is a fun and rewarding event to do with friends, and other like-minded women who support the same cause, Women’s Health, and hopefully this year we can do it in person. To me, it feels like family supporting something big—doing something together as a collective group, all heart coherent for the same purpose, which I feel can have a significant impact - Bhupinder Lalh
  
  
• "I'm running to support my wife, my mother, my sister, my friends, and all the important women in my life. This year has been more draining and challenging than any in recent history, and women have sadly—and completely undeservedly—suffered the brunt of it. I've learned recently that even the act of going for a jog in the daytime can be a more stressful and mentally straining (and sometimes scary) experience for a woman than for a man. It's made me realize there are so many facets of women's mental health that we men need to recognize, acknowledge, understand, support, and work to fix. My hope is that by running and participating, I can help show other men that this is a cause that deserves more attention and empathy, and show my support for women everywhere." - Frank
  
  
• "At the Women and Children's Health Research Institute, we run because we know that women's health research has been historically underfunded—and even nonexistent. It's critical to support research excellence dedicated to improving the health and lives of women—from heart issues to mental health, women are not just smaller men. 
   
  We have seen firsthand how much of a difference the HOPE platform makes for women who are struggling during and following their pregnancies. Each of us participating in this important initiative is proud to know that the funds raised will help expand Dr. Kingston's work and research to impact more women, not just in Alberta, but across Canada." - WCHRI

This page will continue to be updated with new quotes and messages as they come in.

If you'd like to share your reason for running, please email Kirby at [email protected] with subject line: "Why I Run"