VICTORIA -- A local marathon runner that recently completed 12 marathons in 12 days says she will continue running if donations to her cause keep pouring in.
Yana Hempler set out on July 24 to run 10 marathons over 10 days to raise money for the Victoria Hospitals Foundation. After her first 10 marathons were complete, she committed to running an additional marathon if donations reached $10,000 dollars above her initial goal of $10,000.
She ended up running a dozen 42.2-kilometre runs, finishing the 12th on Tuesday with her best time of 4:20:51.
Now, Hempler has committed to running more marathons for every $15,000 that is raised for the Victoria Hospitals Foundation until the end of the month.
“At one point I felt like I didn’t want to stop and I didn’t want this to end,” Hempler told CTV News.
As of Wednesday, the Victoria runner had raised more than $21,000 through her efforts.
Hempler says she hopes she’ll have the chance to run another marathon.
“I hope so,” she said.
“I mean, that depends on everybody that’s watching or reading right now, or listening to this right now. If you guys want to make me run another marathon you know exactly what to do,” she said.
Hempler says the first run was the most difficult due to the heat, which made her doubt if she would be able to finish her 10 day challenge.
The runner then shifted her start time to 5 a.m. to avoid the heat which worked in her favour and still brought out runners that ran alongside her in support.
Hempler is raising money for the Victoria Hospitals Foundation as a way to thank local hospitals for the great care that her close friend received when they were critically ill. She says her fundraising efforts are also in support of all front-line health-care workers.
Besides running marathons, Hempler has also started a virtual run for others to participate in to raise money for the Victoria Hospitals Foundation and the Mustard Seed Street Church and Food Bank.
To find out more and to donate to Hempler’s cause follow this link.
