CORNWALL, Ontario – The city’s weightlifting community came together in support of breast cancer awareness for the first annual Halloween Howler event, held at Summit Health and Fitness Club this Saturday, Oct. 28.
“The powerlifting community in Cornwall is bigger than you’d think,” said event organizer, Rebecca Pitre. “We’ve had so many wonderful people coming out today, either competing or volunteering, and things are running like a well-oiled machine.”
Five years ago, Pitre’s partner, Scott MacDiarmid was diagnosed with breast cancer, sparking a passion within her to promote awareness. In Canada, 230 men are affected by breast cancer annually, with one out of every eight women being impacted by the disease within their lifetime.
“The numbers for women are way more staggering, but breast cancer in men is something we don’t often consider,” said Pitre.
With two world records under her belt for powerlifting, Pitre says she was thrilled with the turnout of top-class athletes.
“The fact that we had two super heavyweight competitors at today’s event makes me very optimistic about next year,” said Pitre.
