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Victoria marathon truly goes the distance

Charities helped in the 2019 GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon charities list grows beyond 20
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The 2019 Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon takes place Sunday, Oct. 13. (Victoria Marathon photo)

The long list of charities set to receive a helping hand from the 2019 GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon underlines how much of an impact the event has made since its inception.

This year’s event will mark 40 years of making a huge difference for charities in the community, throughout the province and beyond.

At least 20 charities are participating in the Charity Pledge Program this year, and organizers expect that number will increase during the coming weeks.

READ ALSO: Take the money and run (a marathon) for charity

KidSport Greater Victoria, Pacific Autism Family Network and the GoodLife Kids Foundation, the three official charities for this year, join a list of charitable organizations receiving assistance that includes Autism Speaks Canada, BC Cancer Foundation, Broadmead Care, Bridges for Women Society, Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Cerebral Palsy Association of BC, Esquimalt Military Family Resource Centre, Greater Victoria Lifetime Networks, HeroWork Program Society, MOVE Adapted Fitness and Rehabilitation Society of BC, NEED2 Suicide Prevention, Education and Support, Special Olympics BC-Victoria, The Kidney Foundation of Canada, BC & Yukon, Island Prostate Centre, Threshold Housing Society, United Way Greater Victoria, and the Victoria Hospitals Foundation.

The Sunday, Oct. 13 event offers a variety of ways to participate, such as the full or half marathon, 8K road race and the Thrifty Foods Kids Run.

The Victoria Marathon Society, volunteers and participants have helped more than 100 charities raise money and awareness throughout the years by encouraging individuals to run or walk for their individual causes, and by collecting pledges, noted Cathy Noel, general manager of the GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon, presented by New Balance. “We are very proud of the work that our charities do in our community,” Noel said. “The years have gone by so quickly, and we look forward to reaching the $2 million mark in this anniversary year. Every dollar gets us one step closer.”

For more information on the marathon’s charities, visit runvictoriamarathon.com/fundraising/.