The inaugural Alberta Kicking PancreAS 5K run takes place on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at the Confluence Plaza on St. Patrick’s Island in southeast Calgary.
The hope is that the event can raise awareness of one of Canada’s deadliest cancers while helping to build a network for both patients and families.
Craig’s Cause Pancreatic Cancer Society organized the fundraiser. The 5K run will support pancreatic cancer awareness, patient support, health education and research. This is the first year that the event is being hosted in Alberta. Over 100 participants had been registered and more than $15,000 has been raised.
Alessia Proietti, health-care education manager with Craig’s Cause, says that the event serves an important role in Canada.
“There’s really no other run in Canada for pancreatic cancer. We’re the only national run,” Proietti said.
Proietti said one of the biggest problems is the mortality rate for pancreatic cancer. The Canadian Cancer Society reports that there’s only a 12 per cent survival rate for patients over a five year period.
“One of the main reasons why I think that it doesn’t get a lot of awareness or attention is because it has such a high death rate,” Proietti said.
The cause is also personal for Proietti.
“My father has pancreatic cancer. So, you know, this job is not just a job for me. It’s personal and it’s not a death sentence. There is hope. There’s always hope,” Proietti said.
Participant Denise Brown is in support of the event in memory of her husband Brian, who died from pancreatic cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It happens very, very quickly and it’s a huge shock,” Brown said, describing the impact the disease takes on families.
Due to pandemic restrictions during Brian’s illness, Brown said she was unable to connect with others dealing with the same experiences.
“I’m hoping that this walk will encourage us to form a stronger community in Calgary,” Brown said.
Brown said the focus shifted to her family making the most of the limited time that they had together with Brian. Doctors told the family he had 12 months to live. Rather than focus on the diagnosis, Brown and her daughter made a promise to bring moments of happiness for Brian.
“What we decided to do was bring at least one moment of joy every day to Brian’s life,” Brown said.
That promise is why Brown looks forward to participating this upcoming Saturday. Brown hopes the event becomes more than just a fundraiser or a 5K run.
“We might be the seed tomorrow for a solidarity group, a fundraising group, a support group for people,” Brown said.
Like other families, Brown said she didn’t know a lot about pancreatic cancer until it affected her loved ones.
“You don’t know about pancreatic cancer, you don’t hear about it until it hits you.”