St. Albert shock-jocks will run, jump, splash, and stumble their way across a Sturgeon County farm this Saturday to raise cash for seniors.
About 200 athletes will race across Sturgeon County Sept. 6 as part of the ninth annual West Country Hearth Attack. This annual event sees participant scramble through a six-kilometre obstacle course to raise money for the West Country Hearth seniors home in Villeneuve.
Colleen Soetaert, chair of the West Sturgeon People Aging in Place Foundation, said the foundation hopes to raise $40,000 through this year’s event. Volunteers spent this week prepping the course and its 23 obstacles on the 80-acre farm near Calahoo that hosts the Hearth Attack. This year’s competitors should expect to have to balance on beams, shoot arrows, flip tires, scale hay bales, and climb many, many hills. The late summer heat means there won’t be much mud, but there would be a few water obstacles to splash through.
“It’s a great race,” she said, and you can win prizes such as helicopter rides too.
The race is open to anyone 14 and up of any athletic ability, Soetaert said. Participants can run in teams and help each other overcome obstacles. Should an obstacle prove insurmountable, competitors can buy a $5 “By-Pass” or perform 15 burpees (an onerous jumping jack/push-up combination) to continue their race.
About 13 emergency department workers from the Sturgeon Community Hospital will take part in the Heart Attack as the Sturgeon Emergency Shock Jocks, said team spokesperson and nurse Amber Kent. (They’re the Shock Jocks because they’re jocks/athletes who shock people with defibrillators.)
Kent said her family has supported the Hearth Attack since it began, adding that she grew up on the farm where it takes place.
“It’s really beautiful out there,” she said, with plenty of trees and hills for runners to enjoy.
Kent said she and her teammates plan to split into smaller groups to help each other during the race and avoid doing burpees. She looked forward to the lily pad and rope-swing stations, which typically involve hilarious flops into the water, but dreaded the wall climb that comes at the end of the race.
“It’s at the very end, and you’re really tired,” she said, and the wall is 10’ or 20’ tall.
Kent said she relies on her teammates to give her boosts and act as handholds to help her over this final challenge.
Soetaert said guests will get a front-row seat at about seven of the race’s obstacles that will be set up next to the viewing area. There will also be food trucks and a beer garden.
“It’s a great day of fun, great community spirit, and for a great cause.”
The Hearth Attack runs from about 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sept. 6, with the first heat starting at 10 a.m. Most racers finish in about an hour. The race is free to watch and $80 to race, with registration open up until the start of the event. Participants should arrive at least 45 minutes before their race time. Visit www.westcountryhearthattack.com for details.
