Fifty of Cochrane's fastest rugrats will be showing off their speed during the return of the annual Two Pharmacy Diaper Derby on Saturday.
The popular event will be held in the parking lot out front of Two Pharmacy from 10 to 11 a.m., according to Reid Kimmett, the business' co-owner and operations manager.
He said he's looking forward to the unique event's return, as the last Diaper Derby was all the way back in September 2019. The event has seen two pandemic-caused cancellations in the years since.
“It’s a very bizarre race,” he admitted. “It’s sort of a road race like you’d see with a five-k or 10-k, but on a smaller scale with smaller athletes."
Kimmett said the babies and toddlers who race in the event are all three years old or younger. They race each other across a 20-foot mat with lanes marked off on it.
“Anyone is welcome to come join and watch," he said. "It’s highly entertaining…seeing the ways parents try to coax their kids down the mat and over to the finish line. It’s a fun day and we’re happy to have anyone who wants to see it come check it out."
The event also has a charitable component. Kimmett said this year, Two Pharmacy will raise funds for the Shifra Centre for Wellness in Cochrane, which is trying to raise money to build a memorial garden for one of their staff members who passed away this year.
According to Kimmett, $2 will be donated for every race participant as well as $2 from every transaction in the pharmacy throughout the day on Sept. 24.
“This garden they’re building and what Shifra stands for is women’s health and creating safe spaces for women to gather and share," he said. "That’s something we certainly believe in here as well, and that’s why we chose that for this event with families and young mothers.”
Though the event is already full in terms of race participants, Kimmett encourages Cochranites to come out tomorrow to show support and check out the town's speediest crawlers and youngest runners.
"It’s more than anything just a way to get the community together, families out and about and getting to know one another, and fostering that within the community," he said.
“It’s kind of been a three-year hiatus. I think everyone has had their own trials and tribulations throughout the pandemic. This has always been my favourite day at work throughout the year, so to get back to it – it feels like a real win and step in the right direction to have this day again.”
