You’d better be quick if you want to sign up for this year’s virtual Gingerbread Run — registration for the eighth-annual event closes Sunday.
All proceeds raised by the run are donated to SaskAbilities, a charity that Brainsport owner Brian Michasiw was introduced to 16 years ago when his son, Oskar, was born with a clubfoot.
Clubfoot is a term used to describe a range of foot abnormalities present at birth, caused by a shortening of the Achilles tendon. It is treated from infancy with a series of casts and braces. If left untreated, a person with a club foot would be unable to walk independently.
Michasiw says the hospital connected his family with SaskAbilities, which offers programs and services to people experiencing disability in Saskatchewan. SaskAbilities provided the Michasiws with a special brace made of a boot and bar that Oskar wore for the first four years of his life to correct his foot rotation.
“You just go there and they give it to you, it’s incredible,” Michasiw says. “I can’t imagine the expense of that very specialized equipment and we had to keep upgrading it as he grew.”
When Oskar was born with a club foot, the Michasiws had no idea what that would mean for Oskar in terms of his ability to be active. Although his club foot requires a lot of extra work and he has to do daily physiotherapy exercises, he has not let it hold him back. He is a high-level athlete in speed skating and mountain biking and is a top-100 national finalist for RBC training ground.
While the Michasiws are no longer receiving support from SaskAbilities, Brainsport continues to work with the organization. SaskAbilities refers people to Brainsport if they have conditions or orthotics that makes it a challenge for them to find footwear. In extreme circumstances Brainsport partners with SaskAbilities to modify shoes for people who simply can’t fit any shoe on the market.
Previous iterations of the Gingerbread Run have raised between $5,000 and $10,000 for SaskAbilities. While putting on a virtual run involves many logistical difficulties — including figuring out how to mail hundreds of race kits in a timely way — Michasiw says one of the benefits is that it allows more people to participate. The in-person Gingerbread Run, which was capped at 400 people, typically sold out within a few hours. There is no limit on the number of virtual participants and more than 700 people signed up last year.
“Going virtual has really allowed the event to grow,” Michasiw says. “We’re getting people from all over the world doing the Gingerbread Run, so that’s awesome.”
Virtual Gingerbread Run participants can run a five-kilometre, 10-kilometre or half marathon distance between Dec. 3 and 8 and then upload their results through the Race Roster website. All participants will receive a bunnyhug, which can be picked up at a drive-thru race package pick up on Nov. 27 or mailed out.
Those attending the package pick up should keep their eyes peeled — they may be able to catch a glimpse of Gingy, the gingerbread man. Michasiw asks anyone who manages to catch him to please be mindful of COVID-19 best practices and wash their hands afterwards.
For more information and to register, go online.
