Published: January 2025
In 2022, as the city began to recover from the global pandemic, Nick Kerr was managing clinical support at a long-term care home. After two years of navigating uncertainty on the front lines, he felt a powerful urge to set a new, ambitious goal for himself — enter marathon running.
Nick set a bold goal to run the virtual marathon at Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend (TORW) that year. That one successful race was enough to spark his passion, propelling him to take on more marathons, triathlons, several Ironmans — he even competed in the Hawaii Ironman World Championships in 2022. Simply put, Nick is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to crushing goals.
During this year’s TORW on May 24-25, 2025, he’s taking the challenge to the next level and leading a fundraising team of fellow colleagues to tackle various distances in support of the Campaign to Create Tomorrow.
TORW offers an incredible range of six different distances, ensuring that every participant can find a challenge that speaks to their heart. Whether you’re ready to push yourself through a multi-day journey or simply take a meaningful step with a 2KM walk, there’s a place for every fundraiser on teams like Nick’s. These fundraising teams are a powerful force, uniting people who are driven by a deep passion for a cause that means everything to them.
For Nick, it’s not just about completing a challenge — it’s about honouring something he holds close and giving everything he has to make a difference. Whether you walk, run, or roll, you’ll be part of an incredible journey, united with others to make a powerful impact in our community!
An athlete in the hallways at The Ottawa Hospital.
While Nick’s fitness journey is truly inspiring, his experience at The Ottawa Hospital has been just as remarkable and fulfilling.
Nick joined the hospital in 2011 as a clerk on an inpatient unit while studying at university. He developed an interest in healthcare administration and decided to pursue his Master of Health Administration (MHA). While completing his master’s, he became the assistant manager on the orthopaedics unit.
During the pandemic, he was fortunate to be part of the TOH leadership team, stepping in to support long-term care as the hospital responded to the urgent needs of some of the most vulnerable areas in our community, including care homes. In the years that followed, Nick gained experience in various areas of the hospital, from Admitting/Patient Flow to the Medical Day Care unit to Cancer and Medicine Programs.
And he clearly holds his past 14 years at our hospital very close to his heart.
“The Ottawa Hospital has always been an important part of my personal and professional development. Even when I worked with other healthcare groups, I ended up coming back, and that outside experience has given me a bigger appreciation for TOH and the people who work here.”
In 2025, it’s more than just a race.
Fueled by his excitement for the new hospital campus, Nick is emphasizing the significance of both community support and the active involvement of the staff, who work in the hospital daily. He is determined to build a fundraising team of colleagues to collectively make a meaningful impact on the Campaign to Create Tomorrow.
“The new campus gives you a certain sense of excitement. Excitement to see what the different spaces will look like, to understand how this will change healthcare in Ottawa — it’s where many of us will go to work every day. That’s where many of us will spend our time caring for our patients and our loved ones. It’s a generational thing to see a hospital be built.”
Nick recognizes the critical role fundraising events play in supporting projects like the new hospital, which will enhance patient and family care, shorten hospital stays, and improve the overall patient experience — benefits he will see firsthand.
“It’s important for the community that we (TOH) do things right. We want to make sure we can maximize every dollar and make sure we have a place and a building that were proud of.”
Setting goals and embracing challenges
Nick thrives on setting goals and embracing challenges with enthusiasm. He continually pursues new achievements in both his fitness journey and professional career, believing that his ability to adapt to challenges, like the global pandemic, has been key to his success.
Interestingly, what he cherishes most about racing isn’t the exciting energy at the starting line — an experience he values deeply — or the celebrations that follow crossing the finish line. Instead, it’s the joy of training alongside friends and fellow runners, united in pursuit of a common goal.
“It’s the building blocks. It’s knowing that we’re building towards something, and that journey is always super intriguing to me. Obviously throughout that journey you develop friends and relationships, and yes, you do struggle, but I think the struggle is what makes it all the more worthwhile in the end — when you’re able to achieve the goal that you set out,” Nick strongly states.
It’s people like Nick who are integral to ensuring the success of the Campaign to Create Tomorrow and helping reshape the future of healthcare in our region.
