Skip to content

B.C. woman ready to celebrate 23rd birthday by running 100 km for charity

‘One hundred kilometres on my birthday sounded fun,’ said marathon runner Kalyn Head
21836490_web1_200613-CPL-Marathon-fundraiser-for-CCS_2
Kalyn Head (bib #1) of Chilliwack will be running 100 kilometres on her birthday, July 23, to raise money for Chilliwack Community Services. Here she is with her friends during her five-kilometre fun run on her birthday last year. (Submitted)

A Chilliwack woman will be celebrating her birthday next month by running 100 kilometres all while raising money for charity.

Kalyn Head is hosting a fun run fundraiser for her “champagne” birthday when she turns 23 on July 23.

It will be the third year she is hosting a birthday run, but the five-kilometre distance of the first two runs in 2018 and 2019 is peanuts compared to this year.

“I tried to set a big goal for my birthday,” Head said. “One hundred kilometres on my birthday sounded fun.”

She will be running to raise money for Chilliwack Community Services (CCS), specifically its youth services programs.

“I was privileged to grow up with the support to believe I could do and become anything I wanted,” Head said.

With the money she raises for CCS, Head said she hopes it will help youth get the support and resources they need to succeed in their own way.

She set up a GoFundMe account with a goal of raising $500 and within the first day she raised $580. She now plans to raise the goal to $1,500.

Both of her other two birthday runs were fundraisers, too. In 2018 she donated money to the SPCA and in 2019 funds went to the food bank.

Head has been running for years. Last year she took part in 14 half-marathons, two full marathons and five 10-kilometre runs. She had planned to register for two marathons this year, including trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon, but due to COVID-19 races around the world have been cancelled.

Kalyn Head will be handing out these medals to her friends this year. (Submitted)

She figured if she couldn’t sign up for a full marathon this year, she’d create her own.

But it’s more like 2.37 marathons.

Despite the amount of running she’s done, Head has never before run 100 kilometres. So for the past four months she’s been running every day, about 120 kilometres a week, and has been including at least one long run (about 65 kilometres) into the mix.

On July 23, she’ll be off and running through neighbourhoods in Chilliwack. She has 15 friends joining her, but not for the entire distance. Additionally, her mom is planning on cycling the whole route with her.

She’ll even be handing out medals to her friends that day.

Head’s plan is to run it in 20-kilometre stretches and take breaks in between. She figures she’ll be changing her shoes during each break and thinks it’ll take her about 15 to 16 hours to complete the whole 100 kilometres.

To donate to Kalyn Head’s birthday marathon for Chilliwack Community Services, go to gofundme.com/f/kalyns-birthday-marathon.

RELATED: Chilliwack man runs 100 miles on treadmill in garage to raise money for B.C. Search and Rescue

RELATED: Chilliwack trainer brings ‘San Juasn’t’ half marathon to her team after race cancelled in U.S.


 

Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on?
Email: jenna.hauck@theprogress.com
Twitter: @PhotoJennalism

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.



Jenna Hauck

About the Author: Jenna Hauck

I started my career at The Chilliwack Progress in 2000 as a photojournalist.
Read more