100-year-old walking 5k during Ottawa Race Weekend to raise funds for seniors - BERITAJA

One-hundred-year-old Roy Allen is group to make history adjacent period by becoming the first centenarian to locomotion 5K for the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend.

Allen is stepping to raise costs for respective seniors’ organizations, including immoderate that person helped his wife, Melba, who has dementia.

“They’ve each helped pinch her attraction and I could do this to thief them get going,” he told BERITAJA.

Allen, who turned 100 earlier this month, is fundraising for the Council connected Aging of Ottawa, the Dementia Society, Perley Health and the Gloucester 50+ Centre.

He has collected much than $2,300 for the organizations truthful far.

Originally from Winnipeg, Allen is making his Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend debut, having antecedently participated successful walks organized by the Council connected Aging of Ottawa.

Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, the biggest multi-day title arena successful Canada, welcomed much than 36,500 participants successful 2025. It’s taking spot connected May 23 and 24 this year.

Karie Ford, a spokesperson for Run Ottawa, said Allen will beryllium the first 100-year-old to participate successful the five-kilometre race.

In 2023, 96-year-old Rejeanne Fairhead group a world grounds for a 5K title completed by a female betwixt the ages of 95 and 99 astatine the Ottawa title weekend. She group a caller nationalist grounds the twelvemonth before.

Sarah Bercier, executive head astatine the Council connected Aging of Ottawa — and Allen’s girl — said the organizations Allen is raising money for person been really adjuvant to him and his woman complete the past 10 years.

“I deliberation 1 of the cardinal messages that we wanted to get retired location was simply that it takes a batch of different organizations to propulsion together, to support group successful really different ways,” she said. “The money that he raises will beryllium divided evenly betwixt the 4 organizations and it will spell straight to them.

“It would beryllium really nosy to raise $100,000 for a 100 years old, but that’s about apt dreaming big, truthful we’ll conscionable spot what comes in.”

Bercier said Allen has 2 “honorary coaches” — Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and City Councillor Theresa Kavanagh.

Sutcliffe, who is moving his 45th marathon this year, said the truth Allen is doing a 5K is “remarkable.” The politician said he hopes to beryllium astatine the decorativeness statement to support him connected title time adjacent month.

“I person nary thought whether I will unrecorded to beryllium 100 but if I do, I dream I’m arsenic patient arsenic he is,” Sutcliffe said, adding that Allen doesn’t request overmuch coaching.

“We each want our seniors to beryllium progressive and engaged and healthy, truthful it’s really bully to beryllium portion of this story.”