Vancouver Island’s Wounded Warriors have started their fourth annual relay run to raise money to fight Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and will be arriving in town this weekend.
Six runners started from Port Hardy Monday on the 600-kilometre Wounded Warrior Run B.C. and finish in Victoria Feb. 26.
This year’s run is starting a little later for “logistic reasons,” said Allan Kobayashi who co-founded the run with Dan Bodden.
Kobayashi is a petty officer second class with the Royal Canadian Navy, who suffers from the PTSD.
He served in Kosovo in the 1990s and in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2003 where he was with in the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.
“PTSD is a human condition,” Kobayashi said. “It’s from a human being witnessing a trauma or being a part of or involved in a trauma.”
As of Wednesday the runners are expected to arrive in Campbell River.
On Saturday, they’ll be at the Ladysmith Legion Branch #171 at 11 a.m. before moving on to the Chemainus Legion #191 at 12:40 p.m.
Since the Wounded Warriors Run B.C. was founded four years ago it has helped raise $100.000. Wounded Warriors Canada has also contributed $500,000 to PTSD programing.
Donations can be made online at www.woundedwarriorrunbc.com, directly to the team on the road or at any Legion.
–With files from Chris Bush
