Nearly two dozen people ran through the night in Spruce Grove to help support children in Nicaragua.

The event was a part of The Good Run, spearheaded by Matt Blacklock, who was aiming to run 200 kilometres in 24 hours to raise money to build a school for 1,000 kids in Managua, Nicaragua.

Blacklock ran in a Good Run event in the Canadian Rockies back in 2011, and decided to bring the event closer to home this year.

Unfortunately Blacklock had to cut his run short after 80 kilometres over health concerns.

“It’s hard but the consolation is that there’s still people going out there, and that’s the whole purpose,” Blacklock said.

“That’s the whole vision of what we’re doing, is to get as many people involved.”

But a number of his friends and family ran the 10-kilometre loop around Spruce Grove 20 times.

“I’m not a runner, but it was for a good cause,” said runner Melodie Greyeyes.

“It’s for the kids in Nicaragua. Knowing that there’s something that we’re doing it for makes it a lot easier and spurs you on to do your best, to go beyond the pain you feel in your knees when you’re not used to running. It feels really good to be able to do something good for kids in need.”

The group raised $30,000 for the cause.

Blacklock says he plans on going back to Nicaragua later this year or early next year.

Source: CTV News