Katelyn Blakey and Alex Smith have been friends for years.
Next month, the duo plans to walk 100,000 steps along the Georgian Trail from Collingwood to Meaford and back to raise money for the Canadian Mental Health Association and Epilepsy Canada.
“Both of us are avid walkers and hikers and we had always thought about how amazing it would be to accomplish 100,000 steps in one day,” Blakey told CollingwoodToday.ca. “We thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to raise money and awareness for specific organizations that are important to us.”
Blakey says raising funds for mental health supports is important to her, as the past year has been so difficult for everyone.
“Many people in our lives have been affected by mental health and we want to do what we can to help,” she said.
In 2015, Blakey began suffering from epilepsy, which led to a two-and-a-half-year battle. Surgery to remove a tumour ultimately ended her epilepsy, but the cause is still dear to her heart.
Blakey says the duo’s fundraising goal has been a bit of a moving target due to an outpouring of support from the community.
“We had originally aimed for $500, and then $1,000, but met both goals within two weeks. We’re now aiming for $1,500,” she said.
The Collingwood Collegiate Institute grad says the trek is anticipated to take 16 hours. In preparation, Blakey and Smith have been going on practice walks between 25,000 and 35,000 steps along the trail.
“This helps us figure out where our stops/breaks will be, what our pace should be, and just gives us a better idea of what we’re up against,” she said.
The duo will be departing on their hike on May 7. If you’d like to donate to their GoFundMe, click here.
