The Peterborough Butterfly Run is taking flight once again this spring to support families and individuals who have experienced a loss during pregnancy, the loss of an infant, or who are unable to conceive.
Registration is now open for the annual event, which takes place on Sunday, April 27 at Peterborough’s Millennium Park in downtown Peterborough and features a five-kilometre run or walk.
Presented by GPHSF Your Family Health Team Foundation, in partnership with Partners in Pregnancy Clinic along with the Peterborough Butterfly Run Executive Committee, there’s also a one-kilometre “memorial walk” and a one-kilometre fun run for kids, in addition to the traditional five-kilometre trek from downtown Peterborough into East City.
“Since 2022, GPHSF has taken the lead role in organizing the Peterborough Butterfly Run, which has been a great privilege,” said GPHSF executive director Vince Bierworth in a media release. “It is both humbling and gratifying to see the impact that it has made.”
Bierworth told kawarthaNOW it’s an important event for GPHSF.
“Part of the mission of this event, when it was first started in 2017, was to create a space for people who were grieving to come together and feel supported,” Bierworth said.
“As a founding partner of the run, along with the Peterborough Butterfly Run Executive Committee and Partners in Pregnancy Clinic, we’ve seen over the years how this event continues to be a place that family, friends, neighbours, co-workers, and many more come together to rally around people close to them that have experienced loss. This event is very community-driven, which, in a big way, is why its importance grows each year.”
Ashley Hickson and Kori Zwarych are the new co-chairs of the Peterborough Butterfly Run Executive Committee. Both Hickson and Zwarych have been involved in the event for a number of years, including in the capacity of cheering on the runners during the race.
“After years of involvement on the backend of things, curating and distributing bereavement kits in the community, we are excited to have a more prominent role on the executive committee for the run itself this year,” Hickson and Zwarych said in a statement.
“We are working on furthering initiatives with the money raised to help support families with their grief. We are looking forward to another successful event.”
The run route will remain the same as in previous years, with registration opening at 9 a.m. The one-kilometre kids’ fun run starts at 10 a.m., the one-kilometre memorial walk starts at 10:20 a.m., and the opening ceremonies kick off at 10:45 a.m. The five-kilometre chip timed run/walk will start by 11 a.m.
The memorial walk will remain free as in previous years. Registration for the kids’ run is $5 and the five-kilometre run/walk registration fee is $45 plus applicable fees. Registration includes a medal and customizable race bib. Five-kilometre run/walk participants who register before April 4 will also receive a race shirt and various other items in their race kits.
Dave Dame from Runner’s Life will be the race director for this year, using “his years of experience to make sure the event day runs as smoothly and seamlessly as possible,” the release noted.
Money raised through the Peterborough Butterfly Run has been used to provide ongoing specialized education in perinatal bereavement care to healthcare providers across Peterborough city and county, to establish more than 10 lending libraries for individuals and their families located across Peterborough city and county, and to develop bereavement kits for families and individuals who experience early and later pregnancy loss and infant loss.
Since 2018, 800 bereavement kits have been created for families and individuals to be distributed by health-care providers. Money raised through the Butterfly Run is also invested back into race day.
“Our hope this year, as every year, is to bring as many people together as we can in Millennium Park on April 27th to show their support for each other,” Bierworth said.
Those who are unable to attend the in-person event but would still like to support the Peterborough Butterfly Run can take part in a virtual run and receive a race shirt, medal, and race kit. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.
For more information about the Peterborough Butterfly Run, including how to register, donate, or sponsor the run, visit www.ptbobutterflyrun.ca. You can also register in person at Runner’s Life at 174 Charlotte Street in downtown Peterborough.
