Sunday, October 21, 2018

The 5km walk/run and 10km run will start at the Eau Claire Festival Market Area, which is located between Eau Claire and the YMCA. Registration will begin at 8:30am in the Eau Claire Festival Market Area and the run will begin at 9:30am. Detailed information regarding race day and the new route will be sent via email closer to the date. If you have any inquiries, please email calgary@outrunthestigma.ca. All donations will go to the Distress Centre Calgary (DCC).

Distress Centre Calgary (DCC) provides 24 hour crisis support, professional counselling, and 211 referrals to hundreds of community, social, government and health resources - all at no cost. DCC ensures that everyone has a place to turn to in a time of crisis. For over 45 years DCC has provided a critical service to every citizen in Calgary and area.

*Due to an unexpected high registration, only the first 400 people will receive OTS t-shirts. Registrants after this point will have the option of getting an OTS Edmonton t-shirt instead. We apologize and will work out hardest to ensure this doesn't happen in the future years.*

Event and History 

Outrun the Stigma began with students at the University of Calgary when we noticed a gap in the running culture for runs that raise mental health awareness. In 2013, we started Outrun the Stigma Calgary to fill that gap. To remain grassroots, every Outrun the Stigma run event invites local community members to speak about their mental health experiences and hosts a Mental Health Expo involving local community organizations, businesses, and charities. Since then we brought together more than 2,100 students, community members, and volunteers every year to raise over $78,000 for mental health organizations in Calgary and Edmonton. In May 2016 the student club initiative transitioned to a not-for-profit organization with the goal of expanding our platform and hosting our annual event in cities and communities across Canada.

Mission 

Outrun the Stigma is a not-for-profit organization that aims to reduce mental health stigma and develop youth leadership through annual run events that connect the community with local resources and fundraise for local mental health services. We also use our website and social media platforms in stigma reduction through the collection and sharing of diverse mental health stories.