Past participants (Photo: PSFDH Foundation)
A Perth fundraiser is proving that sometimes winning a race has nothing to do with being the fastest.
The annual 5K Prediction Fun Run and Walk returns Sunday, Oct. 4, giving participants a chance to enjoy a scenic route through Perth while supporting the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital Foundation.
Now entering its fourth year, the event was created by Janis Sullivan and Shannon Baillon as a different kind of community fundraiser.
Sullivan says the event is about to reach an important milestone for local health care.
This year, the money is not earmarked for one particular piece of equipment. Instead, the foundation can direct the proceeds toward equipment where the need is greatest.
The event itself also puts a very different spin on the traditional five-kilometre race.
There is no advantage to being the quickest person on the course.
Participants leave their watches, phones and timers behind and rely entirely on their own sense of pace. Whoever finishes closest to the time they predicted takes the prize.
And apparently, getting it exactly right is possible.
The event is open to runners and walkers of all ages, with organizers hoping families will make it part of their fall traditions.
Registration has also been reduced this year to make taking part more affordable. The cost is $25 for anyone age 10 and older, while children under 10 can participate for free.
The route begins at Terrace on the Tay, meanders toward Conlon Farm and then heads back through Stewart Park near Big Ben.
While Sullivan and Baillon organize the fundraiser, they are far from alone.
Local businesses provide prizes and other support, while friends, family members, community volunteers and high school students help keep everything running on event day.
It is exactly the kind of community-helping-community approach that has allowed the event to continue growing.
The Prediction Fun Run and Walk starts at 9 a.m. sharp. Sullivan says organizers are normally finished and cleaned up by about 11, meaning families can support their hospital without giving up their entire Sunday.
Anyone looking for more information or hoping to register can visit the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital Foundation website.
Sullivan can also be contacted directly at **[tjnsullivan@gmail.com](mailto:tjnsullivan@gmail.com)**.
For Sullivan and Baillon, the formula remains simple: bring people together, get them moving and raise money for equipment at their local hospital.
Four years in, with more than $10,000 raised, the Prediction Fun Run and Walk is showing just how much good can come from one very good guess.
