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Chestermere Rec Centre to host third 'Hockey Marathon for the Kids' in 2022

Forty hockey players from Alberta are gearing up to try and set a new world record by competing in a marathon hockey game lasting 11 days next spring – with the added motivation of fundraising for the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundatio
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Forty hockey players will play a hockey game lasting nearly 11 days next spring, in a world-recording-setting attempt that will simultaneously support the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation.

Forty hockey players from Alberta are gearing up to try and set a new world record by competing in a marathon hockey game lasting 11 days next spring – with the added motivation of fundraising for the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation.

The Hockey Marathon for the Kids, which intends to last for a Guinness World Record-setting 261 consecutive hours, will kick off at the Chestermere Recreation Centre on March 31, 2022, and wrap up on April 11, 2022. In order to break the current world record for the longest hockey game, recently set in Buffalo, NY., the Chestermere game will have to last nearly 11 days.

According to Chestermere resident Alex Halat, this isn’t the first time the marathon hockey game has taken place in the lakeside community. He said they set a then-world record in 2012 by playing hockey for more than 240 hours, and did so again in 2014.

“I don’t know if my body is going to handle it as well as it did 10 years ago, but it’s something I’m willing to do,” said Halat at a press event and group scrimmage on Dec. 16 that aimed to promote the upcoming game. “We’re trying to raise money for paediatric cancer research and treatment. What my body is going to go through [in those 11 days] is nothing compared to what a kid goes through battling cancer.”

The first record-setting Hockey Marathon for the Kids raised $1.4 million for the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, while the 2014 version raised $1.7 million. Halat said he personally hopes next year’s game can surpass the $2 million mark, though every player has their own target in mind.

According to Catherine Feenstra, manager of community initiatives and events for the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, proceeds from the 2022 game will support the Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders Research Program. In particular, she said the funds will go toward a new initiative called ACTION, which stands for Alberta Cellular Therapy and Immune Oncology.

“It’s going to bring together a very diverse group of professionals, and they’re trying to look for new ways to treat cancer, minimize the side effects of current treatments, improve the cancer experience for patients and families, and find new cures,” she said, adding every dollar raised will make a huge difference for the program.

Halat said he was motivated to organize the original marathon hockey game 10 years ago after his brother and one of his friend’s daughters were both diagnosed with cancer.

“I saw what my brother was going through at the time, being an adult, and it was hard on him,” Halat said. “Going to visit [my friend’s] daughter, it killed me to see a little girl going through the same thing.”

Hundreds of people signed up for the upcoming game, according to Halat, but he said an important aspect of the Hockey Marathon for the Kids is that every player has a personal story attached to either cancer or the Alberta Children's Hospital.

"Obviously, some did for the wrong reason – they just wanted to play in the game," he said. "But we made certain every person had a reason to play, just for the simple fact it’s [extra] motivation. We’re trying to raise money. It’s not about the game, but raising funds for the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation.”

Alongside Halat, another returning player who featured in the 2012 and 2014 versions of the game is Calgary resident Greg Britton. He said he was motivated to take part 10 years ago by the prospect of supporting the Alberta Children’s Hospital.

As a father to three kids who had spent time in the hospital, he said he noticed the positive impact the hospital foundation had on the facility's patients. Having experienced the marathon game twice before, Britton acknowledged that taking part in the Hockey Marathon for Kids is a grind. He said the players are in groups of eight, and take to the ice in four- or eight-hour shifts.

Britton said if players are not on the ice, they’re either sleeping in the accommodations set up for them in the rec centre’s gymnasium for a few hours, eating, taking care of their gear, or receiving physiotherapy in between shifts.

“The first few days are really taxing, mentally and physically,” he said. “The middle of the pack kind of blurs out a little bit, and then we start to see the kids and fans come in. As we get into the last couple of days, it just ramps up and you have to push through.”

In order for the Guinness World Record to be legitimate, Britton said the players are not allowed to leave the rink, which means players eventually forget what day or time it is.

“We don’t know if it’s day or night,” he said. “We’re just dealing with the hockey rink or the flood lights.”

For more information on the initiative, visit hockeymarathon.com

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