The puck drops Friday evening in Chestermere, where more than 40 athletes will attempt to break a world record for playing the longest consecutive hockey game — with the added motivation of raising $2 million to support pediatric cancer research.
Players in the fourth Hockey Marathon for the Kids can expect to skate for up to 12 hours a day, according to organizer Alex Halat, who created the charity game 12 years ago.
To break their own Guinness World Record set in 2022, the two sides — Team Hope and Team Cure — will have to play for upwards of 262 hours, or nearly 11-straight days — the equivalent of nearly an entire NHL season’s worth of ice time.
“Their feet are going to swell two or three sizes,” predicts Halat, a longtime Chestermere resident and former university hockey player.
Participants are confined to the Chestermere recreation centre for the duration of the marathon game, which will wrap up April 16. Players will take turns on and off the ice as they eat, sleep and prepare for their next shift.
