Photo: Melissa Gosse

A local ultramarathon runner completed her 100-kilometre run in support of the Canadian Mental Health Association over the weekend, donating over $5,000 to the organization. 

Melissa Gosse departed Kelowna at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning, and in just under 13 hours, completed the feat. Despite the cold weather, she was excited for the run, as it meant more to her than her typical ultramarathon races

“Because this was a fundraiser because there was a cause tied to it, I think it had a lot more excitement than usual for it. It definitely was one of the colder runs that I’ve done.”

Her route saw her leave Prospera Place, run to Vernon, and return. Her original plan was to run from Vernon to Penticton, but icy conditions in the Chute Lake and Naramata area forced forced the change.

“Instead of saying we’re going to delay the whole run until springtime, just change the course, still make sure it’s 100 kilometres, but just going in a different direction.”

She says it was important to still do the race because she made a commitment.

“There is such a pressing need for mental health kinda seems like it’s growing by the day this year, with so many changes happening to our society and I want to make sure there’s hopefully something that could bring awareness and bring some funds to the issue sooner than later.”

Gosse originally had a goal of $1,500 but surpassed it with a whopping $5,310.  

“I’ve never done a fundraiser with an ultramarathon before so I didn’t really know how it would go or how the community would receive it. It’s just been absolutely phenomenal.

“I am just so grateful for how open everyone's been to it and supportive they’ve been too.”

Not only are ultra marathons physically enduring, but they can also take a toll mentally, something she says was different this time around, as she had so much more local support.

She had eleven check-points and two bike riders who were by her side. In the end, the team made her a makeshift finish line out of Christmas wrapping paper.

The messages on theGoFundMe and Facebook cheering her on meant so much to her and pushed her through the gruelling run. She hopes this run allows people to talk more openly about mental health. 

Gosse hopes to run from Vernon to Penticton this spring with an even bigger fundraising goal as the issue of mental health "isn’t going away anytime soon."

“One thing I didn’t want it just to be was a one-time thing, my ultimate goal is to create a movement about mental health and awareness about and just making it a way more normalized topic.”