Three Moose Jaw men are using their love of rucking to support mental health initiatives in the community.
Tyler Simpson, Brett Hagan, and Chris Robart started rucking, the act of hiking with a weighted bag, during the pandemic and decided they wanted to use the activity to do something good for the community.
“We’ve been rucking, through Covid, for the last year and we thought why not bring that to more people, and get people outside and moving,” said Simpson. “We decided to create this charity event that’s going to raise money for Journey To Hope in Moose Jaw, which is for mental health in Moose Jaw.”
Simpson says the nature of rucking allows for the event to be rather Covid-safe due to spacing and being outdoors.
“Being in Wakamow Valley, they have lots of space, lots of fresh air,” said Simpson. “It’ll be a safe environment to get out and get moving, and get people experiencing the Wakamow Valley because some people just haven’t seen it or understand what it is we have down there. It’s a true gem of Moose Jaw.”
Simpson says anyone can go rucking as the amount of weight carried is up to the person, which he says directly relates to mental health.
“It certainly challenges you in different ways,” said Simpson. “For us, it’s also symbolic of the weight some people carry with mental health, so it’s a way for us to experience all those things.”
“Ruck It Up” takes place on June 26th at 11:00 and registration is $25.
To register, people can email tyler@simpsonseeds.com or visit the event’s Facebook page.