This year’s Imagine Run took place on September 26 and was a big success, according to organizer and co-founder Mona Stott. The annual event, which includes both a walk and a run component, raises awareness about the importance of mental health and confronts the stigma head-on.
“This is the second year of changing out the format from the early morning,” says Stott. “For the avid competitive runner who likes to do the morning run, this was a huge adjustment for them. But right from the get-go, as much as we were putting on an event for using the run as a venue or a vehicle to attract people, our goal was to have a family event, to attract families to come out and enjoy food and camaraderie.”
At Hespeler Park after the main run-walk, food was provided by the Crystal Springs Hutterite colony, and John Falk organized a diverse line-up of family-friendly entertainment throughout the afternoon and evening.
Not everything quite went according to plan. Because of the unusually high winds, Stott says they weren’t able to launch Chinese lanterns as planned. The movie in the park also had to be cancelled when the inflatable screen could not stand up to the elements.
“We had 85 kilometre-per-hour winds, but it could have been rain, it could have been snow,” Stott says. “It was a warm, embracing wind, and we ran with it. Pardon the pun! It was an amazing day.”
Just shy of 700 runners participated in the run-walk, which is slightly down from previous years. Stott attributes this to not offering the half-marathon. The number of people who showed up at Hespeler Park, however, far exceeded expectations.
“That has grown immensely,” said Stott of the evening festivities. “We even had seniors here this year, and I’m sure the weather had something to do with it. Which was nice to see. We’ve had people say, ‘I just love that it’s in the evening. We get to do stuff. Even if we can’t make the walk, we can come for the evening.’ We’re learning and trying to make it so people want to get on board and support such a good cause.”
Though the run takes place just once per year, Stott is eager for opportunities to keep people talking about mental health all year long. This holiday season, she and her team of volunteers will be holding a Christmas raffle. Next year’s Imagine Run is already scheduled for Saturday, September 24.
“We’re trying to have a presence throughout the year,” Stott adds. “But again, these are all volunteers and it gets a little exhausting. So we need people coming on board.”
If you’d like to volunteer for next year’s run or get involved with the planning committee, Stott encourages you to visit the Imagine Run website and get in contact with her. She also encourages people who came this year to send in any pictures they took.
“Staying in the dark and being silent, we don’t make progress, and 8 years ago I said enough,” Stott finishes. “I have lived with this all my life, with my mother, with my husband… I wasn’t staying silent anymore. I wanted to get the message out, and someone needed to take the lid off Pandora’s box, and I hope it never gets shut again.”
