The Dash for Diabetes will be held at the RAC as a fundraiser for Adele Turcotte, a Ryerson student with diabetes who passed away last December. Turcotte's cause of death has yet to be realeased, but there is speculation it was related to her Type-I diabetes.

Frank Gardiner, one of the event organizers, is a regular at Ryerson's track. He decided to dedicate the run to Turcotte after the news of her death hit the campus.

The proceeds collected by the Dash for Diabetes will be donated in Turcotte's name to the Robarts Research Institute, one of Canada's best facilities for medical research. The dash is an eight kilometre venture - approximately 61.5 laps around the athletic centre's indoor track.

The Dash for Diabetes was inspired by Ayden Byle's 1998 cross-country marathon for diabetes research, which raised thousands of dollars. The Ryerson dash is an extension of a larger annual event taking place in the Huron and Bruce counties. This past August, the dash ran in Port Albert, raising $2500. The Dash for Diabetes has been running for six years now, raising close to $115,000.

Gardiner's goal is to run the marathon in about 50 minutes. He hopes that those who participate will keep track of their times and send them to him to contribute to the building of a database of average times based on variables including ages, weights, and heights. Gardiner also hopes the run can be used to promote healthy living. As a 64-year-old retiree, he thinks that the run is a good excuse for students to get active for a good cause.

“If they can't beat a 64-year-old, they should be worried,” he said.

“The idea is to compete against yourself.”

Although the event has yet to start, Gardiner is already impressed with the university's participation.

“Ryerson is a great university with a real good talent pool of students,” he said. “I'm very impressed with Ryerson students and the Ryerson community.”

Gardiner also hopes the annual event will inspire other universities in the fight for a diabetes cure.

“Maybe other universities will follow in Ryerson's example,” he said.

The dash will be back in March, giving those who participate in this month's event a chance to train to beat their times. The Dash for Diabetes runs throughout the month of October. For more information, contact the front desk of the RAC.

For those who don't want to run, but would still like to donate money, tax receipts are available for donations of $20 or more. Donation inquiries, as well as inquiries from anyone interested in helping with the event are encouraged to email Gardiner at gardinersales@sympatico.ca.