Following the end of the annual Heart Breaker Challenge in 2023, which raised nearly $1 million for the Cardiac, Stroke and Pulmonary Rehab Programs at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH) over its ten year run, HDGH Foundation has announced the inaugural Adventure Challenge happening this September.
The event will take place on Saturday Sept. 14 at Lakeside Park in Kingsville.
Speaking on AM800's The Shift, Heather Parisé, development officer, HDGH says Adventure Challenge was born after recognizing the hole left in the local community event landscape and the continued need for fundraising support.
"Like Heart Breaker, Adventure Challenge is also a 5k run, walk, jog with a variety of psychical and mental challenges and obstacles breaking up the race."
Parisé says teams of four will participate in the challenges that are designed for participants of all athletic abilities with a focus on team building and problem solving.
She says the foundation has partnered with Wild Life Academy out of Muskoka.
"A lot of their obstacles, a lot of them are constructed out of wood. They're all portable, so you'll see a lot of walls, pyramids, the use of tires, a variety of different things. There's also going to be some more mind puzzles and things to exercise not just your physical body, but your mind as well."
She says before the general event, there will be a kids component for children aged six to 15.
"They'll be participating with kids their own age. The children don't have to sign up in teams of four. They can sign up individually and they're going to be doing some of the same challenges as the adults, and it's a great way to allow the younger audience to start participating in these events."
100 per cent of the proceeds raised from the Adventure Challenge stay local in Windsor-Essex, supporting the Outpatient Rehabilitation Centre at HDGH.
Interested people can learn more and register here: hdgh.org/adventurechallenge.