As they do every year, members of the Kingston Road Runners Association (KRRA) started the new year with their ‘Resolution Run’ on a cold, windy January day.

At Sunday’s event, 125 runners raised close to $2,000 for the cause, having completed their first run of the year.

The course was laid out over eight kilometers on the Royal Military College grounds, starting at the arch up to Fort Henry and back.

Described as the original running club in the Kingston area, the organization has been active since 1981. KRRA hosts 10 runs a year, and each race is associated with a charity.

“This race is in support of the Mental Health and Addiction Services for the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington area for which we live in,” said Dalton Cote, an organizer with KRRA. “So all of the money that is raised goes back into supporting that organization and their services.

“Mental health, homelessness and addiction is a very important [issue] to the City of Kingston,” Cote continued.

Robin Witzke, a manager with Addiction and Mental Health Services – Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington, noted the importance of such events.”We are a community-based organization with very limited funding and we really count on donations such as this,” Witzke said.

Annually, the organization serves over 8,000 clients in the community a year, with offerings that inlcude a 24-7 crisis line, walk-in services and a mobile crisis team.

“The donations help to supplement and help provide services to our clients,” Witzke added.

On the race course, veteran runner Richard Sutherland, who is in his 70s, has been with KRRA for 35 years.

“Each run has a different charity support,” Sutherland said. “I support all the runs. I get out to as many as I can.”

Sutherland is happy with his race time, having completed the eight-kilometre course in just under 45 minutes.

“It keeps me is shape. You have to keep moving at our age. Happy to be out here,” added Mr. Sutherland.

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