It’s only the third year running, but the Holland Bloorview Kids rehab hospital expects to see up to 1,000 people this year at its Monster Dash and Spooky Mile on Oct. 26.
The highlight of the day will be lots of bumblebees, princesses, superheroes and other costumed kids and parents crossing the finish line for the Spooky Mile, an adventurous lap around the hospital grounds on Kilgour Rd.
After the race, everyone’s invited inside Holland Bloorview, where live entertainment, prize draws, cheque presentations and more cap off the event.
The Monster Dash, with runs of 5K and 10K, is Toronto’s first Halloween-themed run, complete with decoration of the course that skirts Serena Gundy Park and the area surrounding the hospital.
Holland Bloorview’s roots in Leaside go back to 1957, when the Ontario Crippled Children’s Centre was established at 350 Rumsey Rd. Four years later the name was changed to Bloorview Children’s Hospital. The current state-of-the-art facility, winner of many international accolades, was opened on Kilgour Rd. in 2006.
Peter Donato, who came up with the idea of the Monster Run, says 100 percent of all donations and pledges go directly to the hospital. Most sponsorship dollars go back into the event “to create a better event each year,” he says.