NKCR Sept 15 2017 – Marathon to Wawa – It’s not about the ride, it’s about why we ride

Today we began our day in Marathon with a planned route to Wawa. We had pretty severe weather during the night – hard rain, with an incredible lightning show during our night time shuttle, and I can say that as we went to bed, it’s not often that you feel thunder rather than hearing it.

The morning dawned wet, cool and foggy. After the group sang “Happy Birthday” to Shelley’s son Chassie, we decided after breakfast to shuttle to our first rest stop to begin our ride, and then after lunch in White River we decided it would be safer and more timely to shuttle to Wawa rather than riding further. In total, we covered 52 km in a little over two hours on the road this morning. We were all damp and a little cold at lunch.

But it’s not about the ride, it’s about why we ride. We are out there to spread the word about childhood cancer, and to raise funds. This incredible team is here because of their life experiences; most of us have been touched in some way by this terrible disease, either as a survivor (Taylor), a parent who has lost a child (Fiona, Lynn, Mike, and Gordo are examples), a parent of a cancer survivor (e.g. Ken and Mary Jo), or we have been involved with friends or more distant family members. And being able to spread that message, what it means to deal with childhood cancer, and what our journey means in terms of awareness and fundraising, is essentially why we ride.

We had the opportunity to meet with some kids at the Catholic Elementary School in White River. Fiona explained about our ride from where we were and where we are going, to why we dress this way, to how we eat (and how much, and how often) and what our volunteers do to support us. We talked about Cancer and bike safety (wearing helmets, properly, all the time), and the kids just soaked it all in. The kids always have lots of questions, and it was a lot of fun to interact with them.

Tomorrow is another day, with a ride from Echo Bay to Spanish planned. Then it’s a long shuttle to Barrie and an opportunity to meet with friends and family from home. Whether we ride or shuttle, our wheel family will be spreading the word about childhood cancer.