Ready, set, crawl: 1st Montreal baby race raises money for local charity

The trend of baby racing, which already exists in part of the United States, has come to Montreal as a goofy, adorable way to spend an afternoon and raise money for a good cause.

Alexis Nihon mall became the site of Canada's first-ever baby raceSaturday, with all proceeds from the day's events going to benefit the Montreal Diet Dispensary, a charity providingsupport to pregnant women and new mothers in need.

The event only has one rule, says director general JackieDemers:No walking allowed.

In total, the activitiesraised around $15,000 for the dispensary, which will helppay fornutrition, social services, food and vitamin supplements throughout the pregnancy.

Demerstold CBC thatjust like ina real race, children need a good start in life.

"That is the direct link with the race," she said. "We want to make sure our kids can go through life and succeed."

Parents were on hand to help motivate and corral the babies during the competition, keeping both energy levels and morale high.

Some of them had to be persuaded with the use of props like beloved stuffed animals, snacks and even a set of keys on a lanyard.

Not all the miniature athleteswere game though some of them fell well-behind their competitors as they stopped to ponder, lie down or veer off the track.

Overall,Demers said she was pleased with the event, saying that the money raised would allow the dispensary to offer a year's worth of services to 15 new families.

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