Airdrie Mayor Peter Brown was at the center of a scary incident Aug. 25, when he took an unfortunate spill during the 2019 Cochrane Outhouse Races.
Racing against Cochrane Mayor Jeff Genung in the annual charity event, Brown’s makeshift outhouse-on-wheels crashed, resulting in a face-first collision into the pavement on First Street. He was taken by ambulance to the Foothills General Hospital in Calgary.
“Fortunately, I have no broken bones, [but], according to the doctor, it will feel like I’ve been on (sic) a car wreck for the next little while,” wrote Brown on his Facebook page the following morning.
“I want to thank the health professionals and trauma team at the Foothills, as well – they were awesome. We are truly fortunate to have such tremendous health professionals in this province.”
The remainder of the charity event was cancelled after Brown was injured, according to organizer Dan Kroffat.
“To me, it was not important to conclude the races,” he said. “I felt it would be in poor taste for us to continue on.”
Kroffat added the cause of the crash appears to be the collapse of one of the wheels on Brown’s outhouse. He said the organizing committee is considering having EMS officially on-site for future races.
“Obviously, this will set an example for us,” he said. “Each individual brings their own outhouse, so we want to talk to the importance of building these outhouses so they’re capable of withstanding the races.”
Despite the mishap, Brown said he still looks forward to competing in the races again next year.
“Please don’t let this accident diminish your support for this awesome community event,” he said. “Clearly, my outhouse was not tested for safety – a mistake I will not duplicate.”
Brown also took the opportunity to urge cyclists and skateboarders to wear helmets, saying the firefighter helmet he was wearing saved him from more serious injury.
According to Kroffat, this year’s races drew a record turnout of about 800 people. The event raised approximately $23,000, which he said will support the construction of a new playground at Camp Jubilee for Cochrane’s local Girl Guides of Canada chapter.
