Photo Courtesy: Aaron Brouwer
Run Aaron, Run

PG man completes 4x4x48 run, raises $7,500 in support of local families and businesses

Jul 6, 2021 | 6:30 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – He did it.

Aaron Brouwer, an assistant coach with the UNBC Timberwolves Men’s Basketball Team and a long-time firefighter here in Prince George, had spent the past several months training for a 4x4x48 run, meaning he ran four miles every four hours during a 48 hour period.

“The first one felt great. The couple after that was feeling pretty good. Then I was like ‘okay, it’s the middle of the night and it’s taking a little bit longer for the body to recover’. By Day 2, I was just like ‘okay, I’m in a grind and this is go mode’. My mind was like this is what I have to do and we’re going to focus on doing that.”

As mentioned, this was something Brouwer had spent months preparing for but admits there were certainly elements he wasn’t as prepared for as he thought he was.

“Fueling. Yeah, the fueling in between the runs. Just trying to figure that all out. You just never know how your body is going to react to that much exercise. I wish I had of done a little bit more prep leading up to my runs instead of just a couple of days prior,” explained Brouwer.

The run came in the middle of last week’s heatwave as well.

“When I booked this thing two months previous, I had no idea we’d be in the middle of a heatwave, and add a thunderstorm on top of that. I moved a couple of my runs to the Northern Sport Centre, so it was great to have the indoor track during those super-hot times in the middle of the day. The evening runs, even those were pretty hot.

And of course, a celebratory finish to run in past as his fire hall colleagues showed their support, finish line tape and all.

“Came around that final corner and I saw my colleagues there with the fire truck. They were spraying water. I’m running up and I see this yellow tape across from the truck to the fence, and I thought they were just blocking off the hydrant. But then I thought ‘oh wait, that’s my finish line’. It was really special to have them set that up for me. And then to have friends and family there clapping and cheering on the finish, it was a special moment.”

Over the 48 hours, Brouwer had a lot of support as friends, colleagues, teammates, and several others came out to run alongside him. And while he was receiving support, he was also providing it as the run stood as a fundraising effort.

“The fundraising was unbelievable. We hit $7,500. It blew my mind that we hit that high. Now we’re able to help seven families. I’ve overwhelmed with the support I was able to get.”