An inspiring and passionate memoir that details one man’s determination to help disadvantaged children through the power of sport.

In 2010, at age 55, Martin Parnell began what eventually came to be known as “Quests for Kids,” an extreme sporting challenge designed to help 20,000 children by raising $1,000,000 for the international children’s charity Right To Play. In the end, over $1,360,000 was raised and 27,300 children were given hope for the future.

Martin successfully completed “Marathon Quest 250” (250 marathons in one year); “Netball Quest 61” (playing netball for 61 hours); “Lacrosse Quest 24” (playing lacrosse for 24 hours); “Cook Island Quest 100” (running around the island of Rarotonga three times, completing a distance of 100 kilometres); “Soccer Quest 42” (playing five-a-side soccer for 42 hours); “Hockey Quest 500” (participating in the world’s largest exhibition hockey game: 374 players); “Kilimanjaro Quest 95.2” (completing the 42.2-kilometre Kilimanjaro Marathon, and then climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in 21 hours three days later); “Transrockies Quest 888” (completing nine TransRockies events covering 920 kilometres over six months, including road running, trail running, road biking and mountain biking races); and “Rotary Coastal Quest 630” (completing the 1,014-kilometre South West Coast Path of England in 25 days).

Martin’s story highlights many of the people he has met along the way and inspires us all to challenge ourselves to set goals and achieve things we never thought possible.

Martin Parnell started his “Quests for Kids” initiative in 2010 after a 25-year career in the mining industry. Over the next five years he completed 10 “Quests.” These included running 250 marathons in one year, setting five Guinness World Records and summiting Mount Kilimanjaro in 21 hours. By the end of 2014 over $1.3-million had been raised for the humanitarian organization Right To Play and 27,000 children had been given the gift of hope. Martin is a member of the Rotary Club and was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. In 2013 he was named as one of the Calgary Herald’s “20 Compelling Calgarians.” Martin has made numerous keynote presentations across Canada to groups such as IdeaCity, Sun Life Financial, Canadian Wealth Management, Avanti Software, Human Resources Institute of Alberta, Alberta Association of Recreation Facilities Personnel, Centron Construction and over 100 schools. Martin’s first book, Marathon Quest (RMB 2012), was listed as one of Alberta's top five books for that year by CBC Radio. He lives in Cochrane, Alberta.

Martin Parnell's profile page