The 2026 Hypothermic Half Marathon in Edmonton on Sunday, Feb. 8 at the Highlands Golf Course was a huge success. The event is in its second consecutive year and is held by the Running Room, with all proceeds going to CASA Mental Health.
This year’s event raised twice as much as the 2025 event, with total funds raised this year exceeding $3,000. All registration options (5K, 10K and 15K) were sold out, meaning there were 400 registered athletes taking part.
“I think it’s cool that running organizations team up with organizations like CASA, because it just makes it so someone doesn’t just run for themselves. It allows them to do something for a bigger cause.” – Dustin Brooks, Hypo Half runner.
Luckily for the runners and despite the name, this year’s event was a little less bone-chilling than in previous years.
“It’s always cold, cold, cold, but for the first time since 2017, we got +5 [degrees]. It kind of defeats the purpose of the name ‘hypothermic!’” laughs Justin Ng, the lead for the event, which he calls the Hypo Half.
As Justin noted, runners were treated to sunny skies, above zero temperatures and even a few scraps of grass poking out between the slick and icy paths hugging the Highlands greenbelt . That’s a far cry from the -35 C winds battering the faces of last year’s runners.
Across the 5K, 10K and 15K runs, the Hypo Half runners were all smiles. That could have come from the bright blue skies, coupled with the hoots of encouragement of the CASA volunteers acting as marathon marshals.
One volunteer, Bernice, was excited to see the determination from the runners as they were pushed on by a cause that’s really important to her. “I choose to volunteer with CASA because I think this association is really, really meaningful. We get to fundraise, we get to help people with mental issues. Especially children and their families,” Bernice says.
Jaspreet, another volunteer, participated as a runner in last year’s event. This year, he was happy to cheer the runners on as a marathon marshal and be part of the conversation on mental health.
“Mental health is a thing that people don’t talk about often, so I think CASA is the perfect platform, to go out there with them, talk to all the people and get the community engagement and let them know how important it is to talk about mental health and to take care of it,” Jaspreet says.
Supporting mental health organizations is what first-time Hypo Half runner Dustin described as a nice motivator for those braving the icy trails.
“Running to some extent is about performance, but it’s also about running for a purpose too… There are many reasons why we run. You can run for yourself or run for others,” Dustin says. “I think it’s cool that running organizations team up with organizations like CASA, because it just makes it so someone doesn’t just run for themselves. It allows them to do something for a bigger cause.”
If you’re interested in taking part in CASA events and fundraisers like the Hypo Half Marathon, please visit our events and fundraisers page. If you’d like to host your own fundraiser to support CASA Mental Health, learn more on our website.
