Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Happy belated Canada Day!

After now blasting through the $10,000 mark in fundraising I am very happy to report that our baseball tournament raised another $5000 for SickKids! Further, I have been eagerly awaiting news that will significantly add to this total and will keep you posted on any news.

Everyone's generosity is appreciated and please know I have been training hard to put out a big effort not only in November but in my other upcoming races. Speaking of which, this weekend is the Peterborough 1/2 Ironman which is a 2k swim, 90k bike, 21k run. Anxious to go fast...I just got a new aero helmet that should help me squeeze out some time on the bike. I just got it today and have been wearing around the office to get used to it. And yes, I look as ridiculous as the picture in your head suggests...

At the very least I will let'er fly on Sunday. Looking forward to a couple days rest prior including the start of the Tour de France on Saturday.

THE CAUSE

Regardless of what brought you to our site, we welcome you. Simply put, Racing for SickKids – Ironman Florida 2008 exists for a sole purpose: to raise as much money as we can to support Cardiac Care at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

The division of Cardiology at SickKids was established over 60 years ago and is now one of the largest and most successful of its kind. Like many of the Hospitals’ departments and programs they are world-class innovators, teachers and caregivers. But the real reason SickKids and the Cardiology group is so important to me among the many, many other causes and charities is what they did for my friend, Jonathan Holiday.


I am using the platform of training for and racing in an Ironman Triathlon to share his story. The physical challenges are quantifiable: I will swim 3.9km, cycle 180km and run 42km – consecutively. I will be racing 226km (140 miles) or approximately the distance from Toronto to Parry Sound in a single day. While daunting, I find the mental obstacles far more intimidating, notably having the discipline to fit 15 to 20+ hours of training a week into “life” while avoiding injuries and too many trips to the buffet table. While there is certainly a degree of physical and emotional pain in all of this, it pales in comparison to what the kids and their families are forced to endure every day at SickKids.


Jon was one of these kids. To me he was friend, student, and partner-in-crime. To others he was son, brother, grandson, nephew, classmate, teammate, boy friend. To most, he was better known as “Lawnboy”. For all, he was a special person who, at only 17 years old, left us far too early.

100% of the money we raise will support the Jonathan Holiday Fund to support Cardiology at SickKids. Please follow the link at the top right of the page or click HERE to make a secure online donation.