Sleep-deprived, bruised, and sporting more than a few injuries, 40 players pushed their way back into the Guinness World Records with 261 continuous hours of ice hockey at the Chestermere Recreation Centre on April 11. The event now stands as the longest hockey game ever played and raised $850,000 in support of pediatric cancer research that will benefit kids in our community and beyond.

“We are tired and sore, but what our bodies went through in that arena, I’d do it ten times over for what a child goes through battling cancer,” says Alex Halat, Hockey Marathon for the Kids founder and captain of Team Hope. “We wish kids didn’t get cancer, but they do, and they need us, and if we can help save the life of a child, that’s the goal we care about.”

Funds raised through Hockey Marathon for the Kids will support cancer research into immunotherapy at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute. The aim of this research is to create gentler, more effective treatments and cures that minimize the adverse side effects of current therapies by harnessing a child’s own immune system to fight their cancer.

“When you think about what these 40 players have endured, all to ensure kids with cancer don’t have to endure as much, it’s beyond incredible. We are so excited for this research and humbled by the outpouring of support from the community,” says Saifa Koonar, President and CEO of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation. “We especially want to thank these players for their commitment, for the sacrifices they and their families have made, and for playing with such heart. Their efforts over the last 12 days will help children at the Alberta Children’s Hospital today, and for years to come.”