Runners in Steinbach will join forces Thursday night to be a light to those experiencing darkness. The sixth annual The Longest Night Run takes place over the winter solstice, starting Thursday afternoon and ending Friday morning.
Winter officially arrives in Manitoba on Thursday at 9:27 pm. On Thursday, the sun will set already at 4:29 pm and will only rise again on Friday at 8:24 am. That means Thursday is the longest night of the year, with the most hours of darkness.
Six years ago, Brent Manke started The Longest Night Run as a symbolic gesture to support a friend during a battle with cancer. Now in its sixth year, Manke says they will continue to run or walk to support those who are experiencing a difficult season, with proceeds supporting Bethesda Foundation.
The way it works is that those interested in taking part can sign up for a slot that is approximately an hour in length. There are a total of 16 slots, starting Thursday at sunset and ending Friday at sunrise. Participants sign up for however many slots they want and then the goal is for them to run or walk for the duration of that time slot. Manke says the point of the event is not that they have to run for the entire 60 minutes of the slot they signed up for. Rather, the goal of this virtual relay is symbolic solidarity.
As mentioned, proceeds from this year's event will go towards Bethesda Foundation. Manke says Bethesda Foundation supports some projects on a grand scale, such as the expansion currently going on at the hospital. But, Manke says the Foundation also supports projects on a much smaller scale, such as care baskets for Palliative Care. Manke says it is some of these smaller projects that are very close to the hearts of The Longest Night Run organizers.
Manke says this event has always had a virtual feel to it with a lot of flexibility in where participants can take part. He notes this year they are trying to centralize things a little bit more. In Steinbach, the package pickup and snacks will be available all night at The Public on Main Street. Optional routes starting from The Public will be made available to participants.
For those who are unable to make it to Steinbach, there will also be a group run in Winnipeg, starting at 7:30 pm from Chaeban Ice Cream at 390 Osborne Street.
According to Manke, this event has never had a specific goal in terms of how much money they hope to raise or how many runners they wish to see entered. Instead, organizers choose to focus more on the vigil side and seeing people come together to be a light for each other. Having said that, Manke says they are anticipating about 150 participants this year, which would be their highest total yet.
Manke says when the event first started six years ago, he told people that they could sign up for one slot, two slots or all 16 slots if they wanted. Though he said it as a joke, Manke says it was also designed to be a bit of a challenge. Over the years, several people have taken on that challenge of running all night and Manke says from the sounds of it, there will be another handful of runners attempting that on Thursday night.
"I think it should be fun to see people who are trying to push their personal limits and feel pain and discomfort in a different way throughout the longest night," he says.
Manke says some years when there is a fresh layer of snow on the ground, you see the footsteps on the sidewalks and know that they are coming from the different participants. He refers to the event as a feeling of "togetherness" in a time of loneliness and darkness.
"There's a lot of light to be found in the darkness," he adds.
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Tue, Jul 2, 4:45 PM
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