Team Mimi tops fund raisers

Former Jasperite and brain tumour survivor Myriam Charron rallied the support of friends from across the country to raise $30,000 for brain tumour research as part of team Mimi – a nickname for Charron – in the Banff-Jasper relay.

Local runner Rico Damota said it was amazing to see his best friend Charron after she traveled from Ottawa to support her team as they ran in the rain Saturday.

“She said she was overwhelmed with love,” he said. “It was huge, lots of tears were shed this weekend, tears of joy.”

Damota said though Charron brought together a group of people who had never met, they all agreed they felt like life-long pals.

“Because Mimi’s so magical, all the friends she brought together all got together so well,” he said. “We all ran a similar pace, it was like we were on the same page.”

Team Mimi ranked about 30th in the race, which Damota said didn’t matter to anyone on the team.

“It’s more for greater good,” he said. “When you can accomplish goals together, definitely the first thing that’s coming out is ‘We should do this again next year’.”

Race organizer Blair Shunk said it was a perfect day for running, “cool and a bit of moisture.”

“Everything went really well; no wildlife incidents, no disqualifications, and I have some deposits for next year’s relay,” he said.

The relay raised over $50,000.