Exeter Times Advocate editorial

Something special happened in South Huron on the weekend. If you’ve seen our front page, you’ll know that local resident Ben Armstrong ran an astounding 84-kilometre double marathon on Saturday to raise money for South Huron Hospital. It was truly an event to remember.

Running one marathon is impressive enough. Running a double marathon for about 11 hours and fighting through leg injuries along the way is extraordinary.

For those of us who don’t run at all, running 84 kilometres seems an impossible feat to accomplish.

But Armstrong did it, raising about $31,000 for South Huron Hospital along the way.

Armstrong’s “One Strong Run” was an event the community truly got behind right from the beginning.

Armstrong had a team of supporters — several of whom ran along with him at various points of his run — and crowds gathered at several spots throughout South Huron to cheer him on. People lined up along Main Street in anticipation of seeing Armstrong finish his run.

On the final stretch a group met Armstrong at Hansen’s and ran down Main Street with him until he reached the finish line at the South Huron Medical Centre on Huron Street.

It was a triumphant moment Saturday evening when Armstrong crossed the finish line with his girlfriend, Tanya Mero. He was greeted by well wishers and a short reception was held with speeches and cake.

Words like “hero” and “amazing” were used, and while Armstrong was too humble to accept the hero label, most people would probably argue that running 84 kilometres over an 11-hour span to raise money for your local hospital is pretty heroic.

Congratulations go out to Armstrong, his support team and the community for getting behind such a unique and impressive event.