Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page!! I was inspired by our Healthcare Heroes, the doctors, nurses (and other healthcare professionals) who work tirelessly for many long hours at our hospitals & care facilities❤️ For them, this pandemic has been a marathon...

This will help contribute to giving our Healthcare Heroes the tools they need to provide the highest quality of care to the patients who need it most & save lives. ❤️ Together, we have the ability to double the critical care capacity at our hospitals!

I originally started this fundraising campaign on Canada Helps, when I ran 12 Marathons in 12 days between July 24th and August 4th back in 2020. However, when I finished, I realized that together we can do much more to honour our Healthcare Heroes!! I was inspired to start this back up again and keep going when an offline donation of $25,000 towards the first round of marathons came in from Dennis Hoy because he saw me on the news. I am incredibly humbled and grateful for his generosity!

30 Marathons in 30 days will not be easy!

It will be the biggest challenge I will undertake to date. It will be more marathons in 30 days than I have done in my entire life since I started running marathons in 2012.

It will be very hard but I am hoping that your encouragement,
support, and donations to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation will help me get through this even when the going gets tough (because it will).

Right now, the plan is to start the marathons on May 1st and finish on May 30th. However, if the donations surpass the $500,000 goal, I will do 1 more (even if I have to crawl to do it)!! I plan to start each day in the morning between 6am-7am and take between 4 and 5 hours to do each marathon. After that, I will share a daily update on Instagram (@yhempler) and then head to work. Total distance= 1266km.
I will be sharing updates on my progress through Instagram, Facebook and, if possible, my blog.

If you are interested in joining, we are required to follow the Public Health Order. This means that if I have not already ran with you during this pandemic, we are to stay 6 feet apart on the trail and it is recommended that you bring your mask (I will be bringing mine). If you already run with me/we know each other, contact me and I will give you the details.

WHY AM I DOING THIS?

I've always been extremely passionate about running for a purpose. With the pandemic, our healthcare heroes have been having to work harder and longer and I cannot thank them enough. ❤️ This fundraiser is my way of showing appreciation for the amazing work that they do and for all the lives that they've saved (including that of one of my best friend's back in 2019).

The frontline healthcare workers are going through a challenging time (both physically and mentally). Whether you contribute $5 or $500, you are making a difference in patient care for many years to come. Even if you are not able to donate, I hope that you will be able to share this campaign with your friends, colleagues & family as a way to show support for our Healthcare Heroes.

❤️Your donation, regardless of the amount, will help save lives.❤️

❤️ If you donate to the cause on behalf of your business, I will be more than happy to give your business a shoutout through social media. If interested, connect with me and we will make it happen. I'm willing to work with your marketing needs to make this campaign a success.

❤️All the races I was originally signed up for got canceled for the foreseeable future. This gives me a reason to keep running, knowing that I am honouring those who are going through unprecedented challenges. 

OTHER WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT THIS FUNDRAISER:

• Sign up for my 6-Week Kickstart Program HERE.
  I'll donate a portion of the proceeds to this campaign.
• Shop for Activewear and I will donate $5 per pair of leggings, pants or jacket sold to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation. Yes, you can SHOP for a CAUSE!!
• Share this campaign on Social Media as much as you can!

MY STORY

I work at Viking Air and when I'm not working, I'm running (often for great local charities) in an attempt to make a difference in people's lives through fitness, community stewardship, and health. I also served as a Logistics Officer in the Army Reserves from 2016 to late 2019.

As an internationally published fitness writer, my work previously appeared in Oxygen Magazine, Seaside Magazine, IMPACT Magazine, Canadian Running Magazine, Ageless Living Magazine, CVV Magazine and many other online and print publications. I'm a passionate running and fitness fanatic who started out not being able to run one block without having to stop to catch my breath.

Prior to re-igniting my passion for running, I was a tired, broke university student struggling with establishing a fitness regimen, life, body image and much more. Since my early years of struggling with life, I believe I have come a long way: Boston Marathon Finisher, New York

Marathon finisher, multiple 5k, 10k, half marathon and marathon races under my belt as well as an ultramarathon. My personal bests include:19:25 for 5k, 40:56 for 10k, 1:28 for Half Marathon and 3:18 for full marathon. It is now my duty to give back as much as I can! ❤️

I've also ran the length of Vancouver Island in 2013 for local charities, and fundraised for many other charities including: Wounded Warriors, Help Fill a Dream, Mustard Seed, Recreation Integration Victoria, BC SPCA. Together with fellow charity runner Jerry Hughes, we've done the 1000 Stair Challenge for Help Fill a Dream Foundation in 2015, we ran from Duncan to Victoria, I ran for 6 Days straight to complete 420km and raise funds for Help Fill a Dream Foundation and we also did the 24 hour run for the Help Fill a Dream Foundation.

I'm also a long-time participant in the Royal Victoria Marathon (it was actually my first marathon back in 2012!). You can also do your own version of a meaningful challenge by signing up for the Royal Flush, a virtual series put on by the organizers of the Victoria Marathon (I'm doing it ~15 times this May) and opting to raise funds for the Victoria Hospitals Foundation (as it is one of the charities). 2021 will be the 17th year of the Charity Pledge Program (CPP). Over $2 million has been raised since CPP started in 2005. This year, participants have 14 charities to choose from to run or walk for, join a team, volunteer or make a single donation to. Every dollar makes a difference to the clients and the communities of each of the charities, which includes the Victoria Hospitals Foundation. https://www.runvictoriamarathon.com/charities 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.