Collège Boréal in Sudbury hosts run to support those with PTSD

Hundreds of participants laced up their running shoes in Sudbury on Sunday for a good cause.

The sixth annual Run to Remember took place at Collège Boréal in support of first responders and military personnel with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Participants could either walk or run 1, 5 or 10 kilometres, with the proceeds going to I’ve Got Your Back 911, an organization that offers a variety of online support to those suffering from PTSD.

Students from programs like Health and Fitness Promotion, Paramedics, Massage Therapy and Police Foundations all took part.

Emilie Lacroix, the run organizer and teacher at the college, told CTV News the run reunites students from various programs to work towards a common goal.

“We teach the importance of physical activity, inside and outside, like outdoors. And the importance of mental health,” Lacroix added.

“So this was an activity that touched a lot of the components that we teach our fitness and health promotions students. As well as reunite a whole bunch of programs in the college to do one activity together.”

Dylan Thompson, a second-year paramedics student, said the run hits close to home.

“I have lot of family who are in the military. I have lots of people who are in the first response field, so PTSD is something my family has dealt with for a really long time,” added Thompson.

“I’ve seen the effects of PTSD on my parents, my father, my step-father. I’ve seen those effects on people, so doing runs like this really help me feel like I’m doing something to help them.”

The event has grown in the past six years. Lacroix said the event started with 60 participants and now had close to 200 people registered.

She added that the event is on track to surpass previous benchmarks, and has raised roughly $5,200.

More information on Sunday’s event can be found on the Sudbury Rocks Running Room website.