The Terry Fox National Ride of Hope passed through Weyburn yesterday, part of the eight riders' 7000 kilometre journey from Vancouver BC to St. John’s NL. Event coordinator, Nikki Rekman, explains the 35-day Ride of Hope was the brainchild of Darrell Fox, the younger brother of Terry Fox.
“We'd hoped to do it for the 40th anniversary of Terry's Marathon of Hope but of course, a little thing called COVID got in the way. So here we are for the 45th anniversary doing it.”
Rekman says the eight riders involved have all been affected by cancer in their life and have been training for the journey for the past year.
“These are not professional athletes. These are avid cyclists who have all been touched by cancer in some way, who felt compelled to take 35 days away from their family, their jobs, commit to raising $45,000 each, and put their bodies through a lot as they ride through the country.”
The group came through town with a team of first responders and an RCMP escort, who Rekman says have been incredibly supportive. They left Vancouver on June 9th and stayed in Regina last night. Tonight, they will be hosted in Carlyle.
Rekman is a Saskatchewan native herself and expresses the pride she has felt at their reception in the province.
“The reception in Saskatchewan has been spectacular. We had people come out and cheer us on in Moose Jaw yesterday. Here in Weyburn, people like [DiscoverWeyburn] coming out to see us is fantastic. And we're going to be hosted by the Lions Club in Carlyle tonight. So yeah, the prairies are awesome.”
The event is raising money and awareness for cancer research, with a goal of raising one million dollars. When they arrived in Regina, they had raised over $833,000.
Rekman says they support themselves on the road, from feeding themselves to doing laundry. However, Choice Hotels have also donated to cover half of their overnight accommodations.
The community can support the Ride of Hope through donating at TerryFox.org, and follow their trek across the country live HERE.
