Rockland father aims to run 100K and raise $100,000 for The Ottawa Hospital

Mathieu Chatelain is training to run 100 kilometres in under 12 hours this September, all while raising $100,000 for The Ottawa Hospital Foundation's Campaign to Create Tomorrow. (Leah Larocque/CTV News Ottawa

For Mathieu Chatelain, every kilometre has a purpose.

The Rockland father of four is training to run 100 kilometres in under 12 hours this September, all while raising $100,000 for The Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s Campaign to Create Tomorrow.

His motivation is deeply personal.

“At the end of the day, it’s to bring another parent back to their families, like The Ottawa Hospital did for me when I was eight years old,” Chatelain said.

When he was a child, Chatelain’s father underwent brain surgery at the Ottawa Hospital to remove a tumour. The operation saved his life, allowing Chatelain to grow up with memories he says he may never have had otherwise.

“None of the car rides to hockey, none of the support in business, none of the big conversations or summer camps with my dad would exist because The Ottawa Hospital brought him back to me.”

Years later, while attending a fundraising breakfast for The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, Chatelain heard a patient on stage describe undergoing brain tumour surgery. Overcome with emotion, he began crying.

The man seated next to him asked why he was so emotional.

Chatelain told the man his father’s story and then called him to ask who had performed his surgery decades earlier.

The surgeon’s name was Dr. David Schramm, now head of the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery – the very doctor sitting beside him at the breakfast.

“The stars aligned,” Chatelain said.

“I was able to give a hug to an Ottawa superhero who brought my father back to me when I was young.”

Today, Chatelain works as a financial planner, helping families prepare for the future. But he says one lesson has become increasingly clear through conversations with clients.

“We can plan for our dreams, but we can’t plan for an illness.”

He says nearly every week he meets someone whose life has been touched by The Ottawa Hospital.

“Without the help of The Ottawa Hospital, dreams, financial planning, richness, wealth—it doesn’t mean anything if we have an illness,” he said.

“I needed to do something about this. I needed to help my community.”

Chatelain admits he’s not a lifelong ultramarathon runner. In fact, he says the longest distance he had completed before committing to the challenge was a half marathon years ago.

That’s part of the reason he chose such an ambitious goal.

“One 100K is bigger than me,” he said.

“A lot of people ask me, ‘Is that even possible?’ As soon as they ask why, it’s a trigger to bring awareness to The Ottawa Hospital.”

The campaign is supporting a historic fundraising effort to help build and equip the hospital’s new campus. The foundation is aiming to raise $500 million, with hundreds of millions already committed through community donations.

Shelley McLean with The Ottawa Hospital Foundation says the campaign has reached another milestone.

“We are at $404 million out of our $500 million goal for the campaign to create tomorrow. And, you know, this campaign is helping to build the largest healthcare infrastructure project in our region’s history,” McLean said.

“We’ve seen multi-million-dollar donations, we’ve seen $100 donations and everything in between. And we’re seeing people like Mathieu who are coming forward. They want to engage. They want to be a part of this. They want to say, ‘I helped make that a reality for our community.’”

McLean says last year, grassroot efforts such as barbecues, garden parties, and small events raised $1.2 million for the new hospital campus and for research at The Ottawa Hospital.

Chatelain’s efforts will go a long way, says McLean.

“He’s thinking about the future. He’s thinking about his grandchildren. He’s thinking about his great grandchildren and the generations that this hospital will serve. So that’s really special. And it’s we’re truly grateful for those who are stepping forward to say we want to give, but we also want to support by creating an event and engaging others in the community,” McLean said.

There is still no official opening date for the new campus site.

Training for an ultramarathon has required sacrifice.

After injuring his knee last summer, Chatelain restarted his training in January, running through snowstorms, bitter cold and now summer heat.

His schedule often begins before dawn.

“I’m going to wake up at 3 a.m., have a bit of food, put my shoes on at four and go run 32 kilometres. I’ll be done by eight so I can continue with my workday.”

As a business owner and father of four, he says early mornings are the only way to fit training into family life.

“This whole campaign is about getting back to my family. I’m not going to take time away from my family for it.”

The run is expected to take place near the end of September, likely on a looped course in Rockland.

When the kilometres become difficult, Chatelain already knows what will keep him moving.

“I think about all the people at The Ottawa Hospital, all my clients, all my friends and all my family that have been through the hospital.”

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