Chad Evans - Silent Light
Chad Evans was a devoted father of his two young daughters, Brook-Lyn and Taylor. He was a dedicated and loving son, brother, partner, friend, nephew, cousin, uncle. He had such a glow in his soul, he loved everyone so deeply. He lived hard, loved hard, and worked hard; he did everything he thought he needed to do to be a good man. And he was, if you speak to those that knew him best, he was the best that we all knew. Which is why this loss is so devastating. Unfortunately, he fought his battles in silence. And he lost that battle on August 13 of this year. He didn’t want to burden anyone he loved, he couldn’t ask for help, couldn’t accept it, couldn’t even talk about it because he felt his problems were his own. He didn’t want to bother anyone. And now we are faced with this insurmountable loss in our hearts.
Unfortunately, this tragic story is all too common. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, in 2022 of the estimated 4000 deaths by suicide in Canada close to 75% were men. Statistics Canada has the numbers in 2019 listed and 4011 total deaths by suicide, 3058 of them being men. There is a gender paradox happening, 3 times more women are attempting suicide, but 3 times the number of men are successful in their attempts. When we think of men’s roles in our societal structures they are supposed to work hard, provide, man up, don’t be a pussy. Stop crying and get it done. These chilling statistics need to change.
Now I personally have no idea how to fix this problem, but for Chad we sure as hell are going to try. The first step is conversation, lets get talking about it. Let’s de-stigmatize the idea that men need to chin up, that asking for help and talking about problems is weak when it is in fact so incredibly courageous. Let’s bring awareness to the groups addressing men’s mental health, try and bring attention to them and make them more accessible. If a man is struggling and he is having a hard time finding help in those desperate moments, guess what is easier in his mind at that time. Let’s speak of love, let’s speak of help and hope. Let’s speak of camaraderie.
Who knows more about camaraderie than the running community? When we are out there in the darkness, when we are struggling on those trails, those mountains, those roads, we hold each other up. We give our water, our salt tabs, our company, comfort and light in the night. I’ve proudly spoken of the running community, the bonds you make out there, we are baring our souls to each other in our most vulnerable moments, and we are all just trying to keep each other alive out there. What an uncanny parallel. A lot of you may not have known Chad, he wasn’t a runner when I met him. He did come out on multiple occasions because he knew how much I loved it, that’s who he was, and so some of you did get the pleasure. A lot of you know Tanis- Chads older sister. She absolutely adored him. You can see it in the pictures of those 2, as children, and as adults. She loved her little brother so much; he was her little doll when they were kids. He was one of her favourite people, and the first person she’d call when she needed help with anything. He was that call for a lot of people that knew him. A lot of you also know Jen, and the tragic loss suffered by her and her family, the loss of her Mike. This is such a personal and devastating issue that shatters us, our families, the families around us, our communities, and its all too common.
So, runners, what do you think comes next? Chad’s Day Urban Trail Race will be held on Saturday August 10, 2024, and held annually on the second Saturday of August. We are in the preliminary planning stages right now, but it will be a 34Km race- Chad was 34- consisting of 3 loops from Goldbar Park, with plans of a 3km kids’ event as well. There will be options for solo as well as 2-3 person relay teams. We will be highlighting a lot of Chad’s favorite fishing spots; he loved fishing down there. We will be honouring our beloved Chad and celebrating his life. We will be celebrating all men, and raising money and awareness to causes that support them, and we will be celebrating men’s mental health.
Consider this a save the date. We are hoping to have everything hammered out to open registration for January. Consider this a join the conversation. So many have been impacted by suicide- if you would like to join the effort, we will be looking for volunteers as we get closer, and currently researching groups to highlight and support, if you have any input, please send a message.
I am so very honoured to have a passionate team working with me on this event, and we will be releasing more information as we get things sorted. In the meantime, I will be linking the Go Fund Me for his daughters to this page, with all the proceeds going to his two beautiful girls. They loved him so much; they lost their Daddy and their hero. Those two girls deserve the whole world, as their dad did. Please consider donating.
With so much love,
Celeste
For Chad
Registration NOW OPEN - Register HERE
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