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Mike Kostashuk hails from Calgary but has spent most of his adult life working internationally. This year, work has taken him to the heart of Cairo, Egypt. This Kidney March he will be trading in the peaks of the Rocky Mountains, for those of the Pyramids. He’ll be marching in and around some of the iconic sights of Egypt as Captain of Team “Walk Like an Egyptian”.

Mike has been rigorously training alongside friend, colleague, and world-record-holding ultra-endurance athlete Chris Gaskin. Chris will also be a member of his Kidney March team for 2023. To cope with the scorching 42°C desert temperatures, Mike and Chris have adopted a unique training approach. They complete around 20 km in the mornings outside while it is cool then take on about 10km midday on elliptical and treadmill machines at a local fitness center.

Mike wanted to do Kidney March for many years, but never made the leap until 2022. After doing it for the first time he remarks, “I should have done it a long time ago. I’m hooked. Three days of great conversations with people. It puts our life in context – if you are healthy and can maintain your health you really need to appreciate it and give back.”

Charity and giving run in Mike’s blood, stemming from his upbringing with a mother who was actively involved in philanthropic endeavors. Mike doesn’t suffer from kidney disease himself but has witnessed its impact on others. A colleague had been complaining of pain and thought it was due to too much travel only to discover it was kidney cancer. Thankfully it was found and removed. This experience highlighted the silent and often surprising nature of a kidney disease diagnosis for Mike. Kidney disease is often not something you think of happening until it happens to someone close to you. Additionally, kidney stones have significantly affected members of his family, further fueling his passion to support kidney research and positive interventions.

For Mike, Kidney March is more than just a charity walk—it’s an opportunity to make a meaningful impact and bring the global community together to help others and fight kidney disease.

With the end goal in mind, Mike reflects on the journey’s challenges and the ultimate sense of accomplishment that awaits him. His journey encompasses not just physical distance, but the camaraderie and shared purpose that Kidney March fosters. “Kidney March is beneficial worldwide and it’s helping a lot of people. It doesn’t matter where we are our objectives are the same and we are doing this with the end goal in mind. When facing challenging hills and more on the route – you might wonder is it worth it? And at the end of day everyone knows it is. Our goal is not the just the physical distance but the whole Kidney March event and the sense of accomplishment after you walk under that 100-kilometre finish sign.”