Growing up in Springside, Good Spirit Lake, Burgis Beach and the community there were a big part of Jared Berrns’ life.
Three years ago, when Jared’s cousins, aunts and uncles wanted to plan something to memorialize the young man who tragically lost his life to complications from Type I diabetes at the age of 30, there was no question about the location.
With the help of Cara Humphrey, Saskatchewan Team Diabetes coordinator,and Lyndon Smith, Saskatchewan area manager for Running Room Canada, Jared’s Run for Diabetes was born.
Despite rain the first two years and stifling heat this Saturday past, the event just keeps growing. It started mostly with family and close friends, but now attracts runners of all kinds.
This year, world-class masters runner Ted Jaleta, who spent years literally running for his life as a fugitive from the Ethiopian government after escaping prison in 1974, was one of 102 who participated in the run/walk. The number of participants nearly doubled last year’s total of 56.
Judy Berrns, Jared’s mother, was thrilled with the turnout.
“One of the greatest fears of a parent losing a child is that your child will be forgotten,” she said. “This is kind of a yearly remembrance and it means the world to us.”
Humphrey attributes the success of the event to community.
“The growth of this event in such a small community is amazing,” she said. “And the money raised is phenomenal. Of all the small races I go to across Saskatchewan, this is so great that the community can come together and not only create awareness about diabetes, but get people talking, get people physically active and get people treating it if they might get it or they have it and stay healthy.
At the end of the day, the Berrns family was able to present a cheque for $10,565. The money will all stay in Saskatchewan and help send diabetic kids to camp, Humphrey said.
“We would have preferred to have cooler weather conditions for the participants but all in all, our event this year was a huge success,” said Donna Berrns, one of Jared’s aunts.
“We sincerely thank all the participants, spectators, and numerous volunteers who joined us and hope to see everyone again next year on July 16, 2016. A huge thank you goes to all our sponsors for helping make this day a success and bringing us closer to a cure.
“We’d like to give special thanks and acknowledge Maple Farm Equipment who has been our major sponsor since we started our annual event in 2013 and we are so grateful for their continued support over the years.”
According to the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA), there are 90,000 people diagnosed with diabetes in Saskatchewan, which is one in 13 residents. The CDA projects by 2020 the cost of diabetes to the province will be more than half a billion dollars annually.
