From the left: James Deer, Tyler Olston and Aaron James set off from the light house at Cape Spear, Nfld. before setting on their ride across Canada from St. John’s on May 31.Supplied
The organizers: James Deer, Tyler Olston and Aaron James
The pitch: Raising $50,000
The cause: Canadian Cancer Society
Ever since they were teenagers growing up in Barrie, Ont., James Deer, Tyler Olston and Aaron James dreamed about cycling across Canada.
They drew inspiration from Terry Fox and his Marathon of Hope and Ryan Keeping, who ran across the country this summer to raise money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
From the left: Olston, James and Deer stop in their hometown of Barrie, Ont. They expect to make it to Victoria by Sept. 25.Supplied
Last January, Mr. Deer approached his friends – who are all now in their mid-20s – about finally taking the plunge and making the journey on bicycles. His great-grandmother had received support from the Canadian Cancer Society so Mr. Deer suggested they use the trip to raise money for the charity.
“He was able to get an extra seven to eight years with her because of the Canadian Cancer Society and we’ve all been heavily affected by cancer,” said Mr. Olston, 27, who now lives in British Columbia. He added that he lost a close friend to cancer a few years ago. “He was a fantastic influence on my life, so I think about him every day.”
The three friends set out on May 31 from St. John’s and they expect to make it to Victoria by Sept. 25. They hope to raise $50,000 along the way.
None of them had ever taken on anything so gruelling. “We all kind of jumped into deep end,” said Mr. Olston. “We all realized it’s definitely going to be a struggle but we’ll adapt.”
They’ve had a few injuries and some mechanical problems, but they’ve kept going and have raised around $10,000 so far.
The trio recently passed through Thunder Bay, Ont., and saw the monument to Mr. Fox, who lost his right leg to cancer and dedicated the Marathon of Hope to raising money for research. He was forced to stop his run just outside Thunder Bay in September, 1980, after X-rays showed that cancer had spread to his lungs. Mr. Fox died the following year in New Westminster, B.C., at the age of 22.
“It’s been pretty emotional,” Mr. Olston said of the visit to the monument. “Everything that we just biked, he did it on one leg while battling cancer. I can’t even fathom it.”