Former Walleye Simon Denis, wife running Glass City half marathon for good cause

TOLEDO, Ohio — Simon Denis was a star for the Walleye. The Vancouver native tallied 100 points for the Walleye, the most by a defenseman in franchise history. After retiring in 2023, he’s enjoying the post-hockey life in Sylvania.

“Being able to be a part of a community is something we sought after for so many years, and then to be able to make this area home has just been amazing,” Denis said.

Denis’s wife, Amber, was a distance runner in college and wanted the couple to race together. So this year, the two are running in the Glass City half marathon.

“I knew this was something we could do together. It’s a challenge for him. He’s never run more than three miles,” Amber said with a laugh. “Just something fun we could do together.”

But the two aren’t just racing to set a PR, they’re doing it for charity. The couple is raising money for the Ike & Ella fund, which provides money to families that have lost children.

It wasn’t too hard to decide on which charity, since two of the founders, Nick and Stephanie Reinemeyer, are their neighbors.

“Once we had the idea that we wanted to run and then to be able to do something for a great cause, it made total sense,” Denis said.

Things took a turn two weeks ago, when the Reinemeyer’s house was damaged in a fire. In the meantime, Simon and Amber offered up their home to the displaced family.

“They are our family and it’s become something important to them,” Stephanie said. “It just means the world.”

Simon and Amber were already running for a good cause, but now there’s even more motivation to help their friends who had to leave their homes.

“We’re family with these people. Not only are they your closest neighbors and your friends, but now they’ve become family,” Denis said. “Any time you have that extra motivation to get you across that finish line, it’s definitely a good fuel.”

The Glass City half marathon begins Sunday at 6:30 p.m. You can donate to Simon and Amber’s GoFundMe here.