Alan Davies
Age: 56
Occupation: Program Administrator, Food and Housekeeping Services for the Okanagan area of Interior Health BC
Hometown: Summerland, British Columbia.
Family: Married for over 30 years to Cheryl with 2 awesome kids Steven and Christine.
My biggest physical accomplishment(s) to date: 8 Ironman Races
In the News: Davies to join in Cancer Ride
In the News: Cyclist Crossing Canada
Inspired by the 2008 riders - why are they doing it?
In June 2008, I saw a news report from Vancouver about a group of cyclists who were going to ride across Canada for Kids with Cancer. Having participated in numerous endurance events such as Marathons and Triathlons, I was very curious to learn more about this ride, the daily distances, and the riders themselves essentially why are they doing it.
Reading the riders bio’s, their daily blogs, and following the online news reports, I learned more about the different reasons why each person was riding. Some riders had been impacted personally by childhood cancer, some their friends were and others just wanted to make a difference in the lives of children. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things incorporating a very challenging physical event to raise awareness and money for childhood cancer.
My answer to “why are they doing it” became very clear it was because they could and collectively they had found a common purpose.
I was inspired by the 2008 rider’s and motivated by the concept of combining something that I also enjoy doing, (cycling), with a purpose of helping kids with cancer. It’s safe to say that we all know someone who has been impacted by cancer and the challenges a family faces during their loved one’s illness. The emotional energy alone needed to get through the day leaves zero time and energy for anything else.
So instead of training to achieve a better marathon time this year, or perhaps a faster Ironman, I decided to focus all of that time and energy on a different purpose: helping kids and the families of kids with cancer.
I invite you to share this journey with me knowing that each dollar we raise and each kilometer I pedal, will enable us to collectively enrich the quality of life of Canadian Kids with Cancer.
“On this day, and in this time, we, too, are called upon to act”
