Norfolk firefighter runs New York City Marathon as fundraiser for Simcoe hospital

Norfolk County resident Bailey Pinkney, 22, ran the 2025 New York City Marathon as a fundraiser for Norfolk General Hospital in Simcoe.

J.P. Antonacci

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

After spending her spring and summer fighting wildfires in Alberta, Bailey Pinkney would have been forgiven for putting her feet up once she got back home to Norfolk County.

Instead, the 22-year-old laced up her running shoes and prepared to run the New York City Marathon in early November in support of her local hospital.

“I think it’s important to do things you love and support good causes,” Pinkney said in an interview after successfully completing her first marathon.

“So I was just happy I could do something and raise awareness for Norfolk General.”

Pinkney set a fundraising goal of $3,000 to help the Norfolk General Hospital Foundation purchase a new patient lift for the Simcoe hospital.

Patient lifts cost $7,000 and are used throughout the hospital to safely move patients, including those brought to the emergency department by ambulance.

“I just asked what was needed and thought that was a great thing to fundraise for,” Pinkney said, adding the equipment will help keep patients safe and “protect our incredible health-care workers from injury.”

Pinkney has been volunteering at the hospital’s coffee kiosk for just over a year, serving hot drinks to staff, patients and visitors. Proceeds from the kiosk also support new equipment for the hospital.

“I like it because I like talking to people and getting to know people,” Pinkney said.

“I get to talk with people who maybe aren’t having the best time, because they are in the hospital, and they want to come down and just do something that feels normal.”

Pinkney previously ran several half-marathons - including a fundraiser for McMaster Children’s Hospital while in college - but getting chosen for the NYC Marathon marked her first attempt at going all 42.2 kilometres.

She hit the forest trails in Alberta for morning training runs before launching into physically demanding days firefighting near Peace River, about 500 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

“I just like running, I guess,” Pinkney laughed. “It helped me decompress.”

In Alberta, Pinkney usually ran alone or with a fellow wildland firefighter. In New York, cheering spectators lined the route through the city’s five boroughs, ending in Central Park.

“They were everywhere. It was crazy,” Pinkney said. “I had a smile on my face pretty much the entire time.”

Her fundraiser for the new patient lift is close to the finish line, with $2,660 collected. Donations are still being accepted online through Pinkney’s GoFundMe page.

“Bailey is an amazing person. She sets a wonderful example for her peers in so many ways,” said Sarah Muntz-Flowerday, interim executive director of the Norfolk General Hospital Foundation.

“Thanks to Bailey, to our community and donors, the foundation is able to purchase the vital equipment needed by the hospital that is not funded by the government.”

These days Pinkney is studying American Sign Language and coaching girls hockey while continuing her volunteer shifts at the hospital’s coffee kiosk.

Asked why she devotes so much energy to Norfolk General, her answer was simple.

“It’s our hospital,” Pinkney said. “People depend on it.”

J.P. Antonacci is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.