Kwalikum Secondary School teacher Ryne Barton will run a 24-hour marathon to raise funds for the Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock.
Students are calling the event, to take place on May 27, the ‘Bartathon’.
Barton, a physical education teacher and international student counsellor, has mapped out the course he will run in Qualicum Beach. It will mark Barton’s third time taking part in a 24-hour marathon.
“My biggest reason is empathy,” said Barton. “People going through cancer, people going through adverse situations who are probably in pain and in the lowest moments of their life. For me to experience that pain, even though it’s self-inflicted, means I get to have more empathy. Even though my experience is not the same, I can relate to that experience, because it’s something that people are going to have to overcome.”
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Hosted by the KSS Leadership group, the goal of the Bartathon is for classes and individuals to raise money to be donated to the Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock fundraiser.
Anyone wishing to support Barton in his challenging task to raise money for this cause can donate on the KSS website at https://www.sd69.bc.ca/school/KSS.
Students can also participate by collecting pledges and signing up to run for a portion of the 24 hours.
“First you say it, and then you have to do it,” said Barton. “It’s all about the thought. If you have a thought, then those thoughts can become words, and then hopefully they become actions. When you’re doing actions, you’re doing something, and doing something is always better than doing nothing.”
Various students and staff will take shifts to run from 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, through the night, until Friday at the same time.
KSS Leadership will handle the necessary safety precautions and notify residents in the area before the event. They are grateful to Barton for volunteering to take on this challenge and for his dedication to help a worthy cause.
For more information, contact dreid@sd69.bc.ca
— Submitted by Teegan and Zaira Walshe
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