Camrose residents will lace up their sneakers on June 14, 2026, for the first-ever Side by Side for ALS event at Mirror Lake Park, a province-wide rebranding of two longtime fundraisers that have poured more than $10 million into Alberta ALS research and support. Registration opens at 9:30 a.m. and the walk-run rolls out at 10:00 a.m. along the park’s 3 km paved trail, with all money raised staying in the province to help families facing a disease that has no known cause or cure.
The event is backed by Camrose’s own Conrad Gotzmann, the 2026 Side by Side Ambassador for Camrose, who has lived with ALS since a diagnosis that followed years of uncertainty. “After initially being diagnosed as PLS and undergoing multiple follow ups and EMG’s, my diagnosis was changed to ALS,” Gotzmann shared through the ALS Society of Alberta. He wears an ALS shirt every day at Millennium Place, calling it an invitation to talk and raise awareness.
Gotzmann’s story is woven into a larger shift for the ALS Society of Alberta. Starting this year, Betty’s Run for ALS and Walk Together for ALS have merged into the single Side by Side identity, a change timed with the 30th anniversary of the first Betty’s Run and the organization’s 40th year. Since 1997, Betty’s Run alone has raised over $10 million for research, equipment, and client support. Those donations directly fund efforts like the Alberta ALS Research Network, a $1.1 million investment linking researchers at the University of Calgary and University of Alberta.
Mirror Lake Park, with its flat 3 km loop and central location, offers a welcoming setting for participants of all abilities. Organizers say the day is about more than distance; it is a chance to stand alongside the estimated 3,000 Canadians living with ALS, a group that loses two to three people every day. Funds raised in Camrose will stay in the province, bolstering client services and the search for effective treatments.
Gotzmann’s push to fill the park is personal. He points to the late Jenna Doll, a 2025 Wainwright Ambassador who died from ALS, as a spark for his commitment. Residents can join the June 14 event by arriving at 9:30 a.m. to register, with the walk and run beginning at 10:00 a.m. and following the trail around Mirror Lake.
