Eight days, eight runners and 800 kilometres. Put the numbers together and you have one of the most dedicated groups of people giving their time to try and make life better for others.
That was evident last Saturday when the eight Wounded Warriors runners made a stop in Ladysmith, headed by BC Ambulance personnel and members of the Ladysmith Fire/Rescue department, leading up to the final leg of their run down Vancouver Island.
Leading the dedicated group was Matt Carlson, who was the back-up head runner for the 2025 run. According to Carlson, they left Nanaimo late, but as they got closer to Ladysmith they had to pace themselves as they were going to be ahead of schedule.
The running team for 2025 consists of Carlson, the public affairs projects officer at the Canadian Forces base in Esquimalt; Kevin Whiteside, a 26-year member of the Canadian Forces who spends time at sea; Jason Laidman, deputy chief of the Victoria police; Dan Bodden, co-founder of WWRBC and a serving member of the Canadian Air Force; Pat Bryant, a member of the Central Saanich police service; Paul Jones; a 23-year member of the RCMP presently working in the Comox Valley; and Francesca Lott, a paramedic with BC Ambulance now in the Comox Valley.
The group arrived in town at 10:30 a.m. and attended a reception at the Ladysmith Legion. They were welcomed by the Legion president, Darlene Paulson, and members. The Legion was open to the public and was filled to capacity.
‘JZ’ Zweng, the director of the Warrior Red BC program introduced the team and also thanked the people of Ladysmith for the show of support.
“Arriving in communities like Ladysmith and the feeling of support and belief in what our members are going through is what keeps us going,” she said.
Before heading out to continue the run on its seventh day, runner Dan Bodden spoke to the gathering. He said he’s telling his story for the first time, and even his wife Jillian had not heard it before. His wife had travelled up to surprise him on the Saturday of the run. He said it was hard for members of the run to share their stories. He said they were all different, but in the big picture, they were all the same. They have an affect on the individual for the rest of their lives. He added there is an affect on their loved ones as well and sometimes the individuals can’t get out of it and it drags them down. That is what Wounded Warriors is about: the support the run gets from the communities they visit.
The run wrapped up on the Sunday at Market Square in downtown Victoria. On the final day it was reported that more than $235,000 had been raised. The goal for 2025 is $250,000 and it’s hoped that they will still reach that mark as fundraising efforts continue until March 31.
