The runners may have hung up their shoes after last month's 2012 GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon, but their fundraising efforts leading up to the race helped raise $325,500 for local charities.
The marathon supports four official charities: KidSport Victoria, Times Colonist Raise-a-Reader, GoodLife Kids Foundation and the Kilee Patchell-Evans Autism Research Group.
It also had 20 charities that participated in the 2012 Times Colonist Charity Pledge Program. Charities use the event to help raise awareness and collect pledges for their individual causes. This is the seventh year the program has been adopted by the marathon.
"The Charity Pledge Program raised more than $195,000 this year, bringing the total monies raised by the program since 2006 to just under $1 million," said Cathy Noel, general manager of the GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon.
The combined total of $325,500 includes the Times Colonist Charity Pledge Program, donations from the Victoria Marathon Society and participant donations.
"We are thrilled at the progress of the different charities this year," said Shannon Kowalko, Times Colonist promotions and community relations manager. "The Charity Pledge Program is a natural fit to the other fundraising efforts of the event."
The top four fundraisers in the Times Colonist Charity Pledge Program were: Sister Lucy Dumont for Mount St. Mary Foundation, $9,063; Katherine Hart for the B.C. Cancer Foundation, $5,050; Evan Fagan for Mount St. Mary Foundation, $3,845; and Mei-Sheng Shanks, B.C. Cancer Foundation, $3,775.
More than 11,500 runners took part in this year's marathon, half-marathon and 8-km run on Oct. 7.
