Students at St. Elizabeth Seton School took part in the annual Aloha Run on May 7. (Image Credit: Supplied/Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools)

By Josh Hall

'aloha' has many meanings

12,000 students take part in annual Aloha Run for mental health

May 8, 2026 | 3:03 PM

Numerous schools took part this week in Red Deer’s annual Aloha Run, which took place this year during Mental Health Week.

The event happens at individual schools across multiple divisions in Red Deer, Innisfail, and Sylvan Lake.

Upwards of 12,000 students from all the schools did their part by getting out into the sunshine for the run, which features a Hawaiian theme.

“An annual highlight on the local calendar, the Aloha School Run challenged the students to have fun, move their bodies, and cheer their schoolmates on as they tackled the course that looped around the school grounds, all while decked out in colourful Hawaiian-inspired outfits,” a spokesperson for Red Deer Catholic shared.

“Commonly used as a greeting, students were reminded of the deeper meaning of the word ‘Aloha’ by run founder Val Jensen before they set off on the course. In Hawaiian culture, the word can also mean love, affection, peace, compassion, and mercy — values that are at the foundation of good mental health.”