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We are incredibly proud of our Kidney March Family. Every conversation, every tweet, every facebook status, every newspaper feature and every shout out has helped spread the word about Kidney March far and wide, and for that, we are beyond grateful. We welcome you with open arms to be as Kidney March connected as possible. There is an amazing community with a strong voice out there and you can find it all here. Read our blog below for our News and Community updates and stay connected.

Want to get to know a few of your fellow Marchers? Visit our 'Marcher Stories' page under 'The Cause' to read more!

Kidney March in the News! To read and watch past news storries on our event and participants visit our 'Media' page.

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Lost and Found 2023

Lost and found from Kidney March 2023
Please check the below list of items and let us know if you think something may be yours. To claim your lost item contact Sharon D’Souza
sharon.dsouza@kidney.ca 1-587-200-2780  | 1-800-268-1177

We will bring all unclaimed items to the Alumni Reunion in October.  Any remaining items following the reunion will be donated to Kidney Clothes.

Items that are missing and not yet found:
1) Beets Pill Speaker left in Van #21 potentially

2) Black Yeti water bottle

3) Power Bank portable charger white, it was plugged into multi port charging block with a short grey cord.

4) Round speaker UE(ultimate ears) Dark grey with an orange small label.

Unclaimed found items:

Description

White Bag with Blue towel and other items

Sleeping bag, blue Okark Trail sleeping bag with grey cover

Shirley – glasses pouch with clothes

Purple hairband with cat ears and red item

Yardworks Gloves- Grey

Duck Blanket

Size 10 Sandals – George brand

P9- Small white bag with personal belongings

Blue thermos with blue and yellow shirt

Black and White Towel

Geo K – white bag with KM clothing

Yellow Eye Mask

Brown Sunglasses

Blue wet sweater

Good vibes blue waterbottle, pink watch phone cable, KM Tuber, Socks

Green Sweater

Caunie SP – white bag Personal belongings

KM Jacket

KM Grey Long Sleeve Shirt

Orange Advantage Builders Drinkware

Blue walmart bottle

Grey sweat pants

White Hand Towel

Cartoon Girl Towel

Olay Body wash 89ml

Blue/purple Thermoflask

Flash light

Blue sheet

White Sheet

Soft Kneebrace

Purple bubble maker stick

White work gloves – grey spots

White sheet

Hot Paws gloves

Boys XL black pants

black touque

Grey slacks

Nikon camera lense cover

2023 Closing Ceremony

 The Closing Ceremony:  Sunday, September 10, at 3:00 pm
Join us for  3:00 pm to cheer on the parade of Marchers and Crew as they complete their final kilometres and walk into the Closing Ceremony at Winsport Canada Olympic Park’s Festival Tent.  *No Pets
Where: COP Festival Tent: 88 Canada Olympic Rd SW, Calgary AB. (See map below for parking)

 A Special Thanks to our Closing Ceremony Sponsor, The Lecky Foundation.

 

Where Can My Supporters Cheer For Me During Kidney March?

2023  Cheering Stations & Ceremonies

The experience of a lifetime and maybe the biggest challenge you’ve ever undertaken deserves a lot of celebration! 

During Kidney March, safety is our top priority.  Support is also very important to us, so we want to make sure your family and friends have opportunities to cheer you on!  There are specific locations each day where friends and family can safely park and greet you:

Day One

  • 7:00 am sharp, Opening Ceremony at Millarville Racing & Agricultural Society, Millarville Racetrack: 306097 192 Street, Millarville, AB T0L 1K0 
  • 9:30 am – 1:00 pm, Diamond Valley lunch stop,  Royalite Millennium Park: approximately 105 Valley Trail NE, Turner Valley, AB T0L 2A0

Day Two

Day Three 

  • 9:00 am – 11:00 am, Calgary lunch stop, at Peace Park: 8 St SW & 2 Ave SW, Calgary AB
  • 3:00 pm, Marchers and Crew complete their final kilometres and walk into the Closing Ceremony at WinSport Canada Olympic Park, in the Festival Tent, 88 Canada Olympic Rd SW, Calgary AB 
    **bottom of the hill only** 

Please use the designated cheering stations only.
For safety reasons, we cannot allow spontaneous stops along the route or have family and friends joining the walk. Family and friends are encouraged to find their Marchers and Crew only at the cheering stations listed.
**Guests or visitors are not permitted at Kidney March Camp**

 

Meet the Marcher – Mike Kostashuk

Kidney Marcher Embarks on Unique Journey Amidst Ancient Wonders

Mike Kostashuk hails from Calgary but has spent most of his adult life working internationally. This year, work has taken him to the heart of Cairo, Egypt. He will be trading in the the peaks of the Rocky Mountains for those of the Pyramids. He’ll be marching in and around some of the iconic sights of Egypt as Captain of Team “Walk Like an Egyptian”. 

Mike has been rigorously training alongside friend, colleague, and world-record-holding ultra-endurance athlete Chris Gaskin. Chris will also be a member of his Kidney March team for 2023. To cope with the scorching 42°C desert temperatures, Mike and Chris have adopted a unique training approach. They complete around 20 km in the mornings outside while it is cool then take on about 10km midday on elliptical and treadmill machines at a local fitness center.

The goal? To be ready to cover as much of their 100 kilometres as possible on Saturday and wrap up the remaining kilometers on Sunday. (See his full plan below)

Mike wanted to do Kidney March for many years, but never made the leap until last year, but after doing it for the first time he remarks, “I should have done it a long time ago. I’m hooked. Three days of great conversations with people. It puts our life in context – if you are healthy and can maintain your health you really need to appreciate it and give back.”

Charity and giving run in Mike’s blood, stemming from his upbringing with a mother who was actively involved in philanthropic endeavors. Mike doesn’t suffer from kidney disease himself, but has witnessed its impact on others. A colleague had been complaining of pain and thought it was due to too much travel only to discover it was kidney cancer. Thankfully it was found and removed. This experience highlighted the silent and often surprising nature of a kidney disease diagnosis for Mike. Kidney disease is often not something you think of happening until it happens to someone close to you. Additionally, kidney stones have significantly affected members of his family, further fueling his passion to support kidney research and positive interventions. 

For Mike, Kidney March is more than just a charity walk—it’s an opportunity to make a meaningful impact and bring the global community together to help others and fight kidney disease.

With the end goal in mind, Mike reflects on the journey’s challenges and the ultimate sense of accomplishment that awaits him. His journey encompasses not just physical distance, but the camaraderie and shared purpose that Kidney March fosters. “Kidney March is beneficial worldwide and it’s helping a lot of people. It doesn’t matter where we are our objectives are the same and we are doing this with the end goal in mind. When facing challenging hills and more on the route – you might wonder is it worth it? And at the end of day everyone knows it is. Our goal is not the just the physical distance but the whole Kidney March event and the sense of accomplishment after you walk under that 100-kilometre finish sign.”

He’s going to miss getting to know everyone and hearing their stories the most this year. As he embarks on this exceptional Kidney March experience, Mike plans to document his journey and the unique challenges he’ll face in Cairo. Although he will be nine hours ahead, he wants to make sure his Kidney March Community can connect with him from afar.  You can follow his journey and show your support by cheering for him on his Instagram account @mgkostashuk.

This weekend (August 19th and 20th) will be a challenge he’s looked forward to for over a month. On  Saturday they are heading to the Saqqara necropolis for a 20km session and they will be trying to fit the Red Pyramid of Dahshur, the White Pyramid of Amenemhat II, and the Black Pyramid of Amenemhat III, to round out the colours of Kidney March 2023. Check on his Instagram for photos to follow.

Here’s their plan for their Kidney March weekend which he hopes to complete in two days:

DAY 1 – The Morning will take them through the Wadi Degla (valley in Arabic) and back on the north plateau – It’s a natural parkland formed by the ever-expanding wadi (stream/river valley) stretching from eastern Cairo all the way to the Red Sea. For a rough comparison, imagine Fish Creek Park totally barren of trees, water, grasses, and large wildlife. At the turn around his wife (Peggy) will hopefully be there with refreshments.  After a lunch break, they’ll head to a local gym for a much cooler 10-12km treadmill/elliptical session and then rest up for an evening 8-10km walk on the Cairo corniche (Nile shoreline).
DAY 2 –He plans to “wave the flag” at the Djoser pyramid at the Saqqara necropolis in the southwest corner of Cairo.


Mike’s Two Training Tip Takeaways:
• Try different combinations of gear while you’re training. Throughout his training, he found the gear the that worked the best for him, surprisingly it was a different pair of shoes that suited his feet and marina wool socks. He encourages the marchers to try different combinations, because what works for you might be different from others or from what you thought would work. “Bringing winter wool ski socks to Cairo sounds crazy, but I have had no issues with them even in the heat.”  Through the training process you can tackle all those gear issues and avoid irritation early on.
• The other big thing is stretching. Get into a routine. He does eight minutes of basic stretching exercises in the morning to prepare and of the day to relax. It’s a big help.

DAY ZERO 2023- What you need to know

slideshow-1
“What should I expect on Day Zero?”
Here’s a brief run-down. 

Please mark your calendars to attend one of the following mandatory Safety Sessions on Thursday, September 7, 2023. 

Date & Location
Thursday, September 7th at the Delta Calgary South Atrium Building, Nakiska Ballroom – 227 Southland Dr. SE, Calgary (This is a new location for Day Zero so please make note of the location. It will be in the Same building as our spring EXPO)

Mandatory Check-in
At Day Zero you’ll receive your package with your ID Lanyard, be able to check out your tent assignment(if applicable), drop off any donations, and shop the Kidney March store. 

MARCHER Mandatory Safety Sessions
All Marchers must attend one of the following mandatory Safety Sessions. We are offering three sessions throughout the day at different times.

Session 1: 2:00 pm
Session 2: 3:30 pm
Session 3: 6:00 pm

CREW must attend the Crew-specific Safety Session at 5:00 pm. This is a Mandatory Crew Meeting for all Crew Members. At the Crew meeting, you’ll be attending a short safety session and meeting your Team Leads and fellow Crew Members.

No RSVP is required. Each session is 45 minutes in length. We recommend arriving 15 minutes prior to your session to pick up your package. You will need more time if you are turning in donations. Please note, the 6:00 pm session is typically the busiest.

Our Kidney March team will be available to answer any questions you may have on Day Zero. You can also reach out to info@kidneymarch.ca

 

More posts

September Calendar Events

Events in September 2023

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
August 27, 2023
August 28, 2023
August 29, 2023
August 30, 2023
August 31, 2023
September 1, 2023
September 2, 2023
September 3, 2023
September 4, 2023
September 5, 2023
September 6, 2023

Category: General DAY ZERO 2023 (SAVE THE DATE)

N/A
September 7, 2023

Mandatory Day Zero Safety Sessions & Check-in
Thursday, September 7th at the Delta Calgary South (135 Southland Drive SE). Marchers and Crew will be required to attend one mandatory safety session on this day to pick up their event package and be briefed on essentials information.  Full details on session times and location will be shared closer to Day Zero. Keep an eye on your email and our News and Community Page for updates! 

UPDATE: Click here for full details on Day Zero 2023 

September 8, 2023
September 9, 2023
September 10, 2023
September 11, 2023
September 12, 2023
September 13, 2023
September 14, 2023
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September 24, 2023
September 25, 2023
September 26, 2023
September 27, 2023
September 28, 2023
September 29, 2023
September 30, 2023

View all calendar events.

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