A teacher in Saskatoon is embarking on a remarkable journey to honor her late mother who passed away from leukemia at the age of 38. Megan Wotherspoon, now the same age her mother was when she died, plans to run up to 60 kilometers daily for 30 days, covering a total of 1,500 kilometers across Saskatchewan from north to south.
Beginning her run in Stony Rapids near the Northwest Territories border and aiming to finish in Climax near the U.S. border, Wotherspoon’s mother, Louise Tokaruk, was a forestry technician passionate about conservation and the land. Wotherspoon reminisces about her mother’s battle with leukemia, reflecting on the challenges she faced as a young parent.
Wanting to pay tribute to her mother, Wotherspoon will traverse four major ecozones and four Treaty territories while raising funds for cancer research. Despite being an experienced ultramarathoner, running over 60 kilometers daily for a month presents a new challenge for her. She plans to stick to rural gravel roads for a more forgiving surface.
Accompanied by her family as a support team, Wotherspoon’s journey will be documented on her Instagram page @meg.runs.south. Her father, Brad Tokaruk, expresses pride and admiration for her dedication to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada. Wotherspoon aims to collect $10 for each kilometer she runs.
Inspired by other runners like Terry Fox, Wotherspoon draws strength from their stories. She invites people to track her progress through a live tracker on her website. Working as a student support teacher, she plans to integrate her running updates into her lessons, emphasizing Treaty education.
Completing her run near Climax, her mother’s birthplace, Wotherspoon’s journey is a heartfelt tribute to her mother’s memory and a fundraising effort for leukemia research.