Really Long Run to End MS

On May 23, 2015, the first annual “Really Long Run to End MS” took place. There were many things about the run I couldn’t have foreseen. For one, I couldn’t have predicted 28-degree weather at the end of May. I also certainly couldn’t have guessed that there would be people crazy enough to run with me. I ran for 12 hours, with people joining me along the way for various parts of the run. By the end, almost 30 people had run various stages, including aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and people I had never met before the run.

If you want to know if there a good people in the world, there are. Trust me- I’ve seen their faces.

On Saturday, June 8th, 2019 I’ll be doing it all over again. This time I'll be going through the River Valley from Fort Saskatchewan to Devon. If you are interested in getting involved you can join me at reallylongruntoendms.ca or email me at sean@ownmultiplesclerosis.com. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at @MSLongRun. 

On June 8th I will start running from the Fort Saskatchewan Ball Diamonds at 5am. The route finishes at Prospector's Point in Devon (and will likely take me 12-15 hours to complete).The course is 88km.  If you want to run for a while, you can join me anywhere along the way. 

If you would like to:

- Donate: Please visit www.reallylongruntoendms.ca
- Run: You can roll/walk/run 500 feet to 88km. It is up to you. Email sean@ownmultiplesclerosis.com to sign up!
- Volunteer: signup as a volunteer by copying  this link into your browser: https://signup.com/go/LsYDpqF

The course runs through the Edmonton River Valley from the Dow Ball Fields in Fort Saskatchewan to Prospectors Point in Devon. The route goes through:

- Hermitage Park
- Rundle Park
- Gold Bar Park
- Capilano Park
- Forest Heights Park
- Nellie McClung Park
- Walterdale Park
- Emily Murphy Park
- Hawrelak Park
- Terwillegar Park

 Schedule for Saturday June 8th:

- 5am start at the Dow Ball Diamonds in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta

- 5pm-7pm (depending on how the day goes) end at Prospectors Point in Devon, Alberta.  

Approximate Arrival Times:

• North River Crossing - 6:00’ish (6am)
• Rundle Park (approx. 18 kms) = 8:15am
• Goldbar Park (approx. 3 kms = 8:35am
• Henrietta Muir Edwards Park (approx. 8 km)= 9:35am
• Hawrelak Park (approx. 9 kms)= 10:45am
• (lunch break for 45 minutes)
• Terwillegar Park (approx. 10 kms)= 1:15pm
• Henday Bridge/Breathless (approx. 10 kms)= 2:45pm
• Devonian trail start (approx. 14 kms)= 4:45pm
• to Prospectors Point (approx. 7 kms)= 6:00pm

RUNNERS

If you would like to download the .gpx (GPS map) for the route, please copy and paste this link into your browser:

http://www.ownmultiplesclerosis.com/sean/ReallyLongRuntoEndMSFinal.gpx

My MS Journey

On Remembrance Day 2006, I was at work. That was the Day the entire right side of my body went numb. Right away I was off to the hospital- I was worried I had a stroke. Instead I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

As part of my recovery from that relapse, I began running. I started slow by challenging myself to walk around the block, which then turned into short runs and over time longer distances. About two and a half years after I was diagnosed with MS, I was running my first half marathon, and then two more after that. Running has become part of my fight against the disease.

While I run, I have crazy daydreams. One of my recurring dreams was to run around North America to raise awareness of MS. When I expressed the idea to my wife, Andrea, she was concerned about spending a few years following me in a van around the continent with our two young children. Obviously, that daydream wasn’t going to become a reality. Then, while in a pool during a vacation to Mexico, we came up with an idea that seemed more achievable: running the day-one route of the Leduc to Camrose MS Bike tour. I don’t know if it was the heat of the tequila, but at the time it seemed like a great idea to run more than 70 kilometres (77 to be exact) in a single day to raise money for people like me who live with MS.

Prior to committing to the run, I asked my neurologist if it could cause complications with my MS- he said I was in the clear. He also said, “If you’re actually going to do this, big guy, I’m coming with you.” I was pleasantly surprised by the response, which was just the first of many in the coming months. In the lead up to the run, I shared my story on TV and radio, and I exceeded my expectations of raising awareness of MS in and around Edmonton. I also surpassed my goal to raise $5,000 and was completely blown away when I managed to raise more than $23,000!