Though bursts of rain, hail, thunder and lightning sporadically spouted over the 2012 motionball Marathon of Sport Vancouver, this year was the most successful yet in the six-year history of this event. And the less-than-perfect weather didn’t dampen the joy enthusiasm and inspiring the inclusive spirit of the event in the slightest. The evidence of happiness was everywhere throughout the day at the EA Sports complex, from the athletes kept playing basketball and ultimate Frisbee right through the not-insignificant hail to the end-of-day dance party led by Special Olympics BC athletes!

This year saw the 2012 Marathon of Sport participants raise an amazing total of $55,900 for Special Olympics, setting a new record for this event! The incredible effort was led by The Punks, the team that topped the day both in fundraising and sport performance. The Punks raised $15,060 together, with Dan Sander leading the way by raising a remarkable individual total of $6,070. Thanks so much to all the teams and their supporters for their generosity toward Special Olympics!

But this event is about more than fundraising, as anyone who sees the happiness on the faces of all the athletes – and the creative, spirited costumes such as the Disco Ninjas and the TELUS snorkelers – can attest. The inclusive energy of this event is a joy to behold. The SOBC athletes are welcomed wholeheartedly by their Marathon of Sport teammates, and they compete together with an amazing spirit of fun, inclusion and love of sport.

Staged by motionball organizers and EA Sports, the Marathon of Sport brings together teams of young professionals to participate in a fun-filled day of multi-sport action with SOBC athletes joining in as their teammates. Teams raise funds for the Special Olympics Canada Foundation and SOBC in advance of the event, and then they have a blast together playing six different sports throughout the day. They enjoy the experience with the SOBC athletes who join the teams and share their sport skills, Special Olympics stories and sense of fun.

This year, the SOBC athletes showed their skills in a wide variety of ways, ranging from Shane and Casey of SOBC – Vancouver putting on a clinic in basketball – they powered Kipper’s Fried Chicken to a handy victory on the court that saw their opponents and teammates alike cheering wildly for them – to the great dancing energy of SOBC – Abbotsford athletes Mark, who danced all day long with his Disco Ninja teammates in between his sports. He and fellow Abbotsford athlete Christina even led an impromptu dance party at the end of the day! The mad dancing skills of the SOBC athletes inspired Wendell of EA Sports to declare that the 2013 Marathon of Sport should include a day-ending dance contest with prizes!

motionball is a not-for-profit organization that builds awareness and raises funds for Special Olympics in Canada, targeting a “next generation” of supporters – Canada’s professional crowd who are not defined by their age but rather their mindset. The Marathon of Sport is one of two annual motionball events in the Vancouver calendar, and it is an enduring favourite both for the teams who participate, and the SOBC athletes who join them for the fun day.

We’re excited about the addition of a third motionball B.C. event this year – the new motionball Kelowna event is coming up on June 23!

The $55,900 raised in 2012 brings the Vancouver Marathon of Sport’s six-year total to $240,900. Our sincere thanks go out to Marathon of Sport Vancouver Director John Hibbard and Mike McClenahan as well as Wendell Harlow, Rosa Mattia, Michael Brown and the EA Sports team. Thanks also to the Marathon of Sport sponsors: Electronic Arts, Under Armour, Molson Coors, CTV, Urban Rec, Coco Pure, and nationally by Air Miles.

Click here to check out more photos from the fun day.