A mother-daughter duo from South Surrey who set out to continue a tradition of cycling 100 kilometres in memory of a beloved family member who was lost to cancer a decade ago has added more than $11,000 to fundraising efforts benefiting the BC Cancer Foundation.
READ MORE: PHOTOS: Surrey mother-daughter duo join virtual ride for cancer
Chrissie Thernes said Monday (Aug. 30) that the funds collected by her and her mother, Karen Cartmill, this year bring the total amount raised by the Kathy’s Riders team since first signing up for the Tour de Cure in 2013 – when it was still known as the Ride to Conquer Cancer – to more than $75,000.
The effort is a tribute to Cartmill’s sister, Kathy Stonehouse, who died in 2011. This year was Cartmill’s eighth time participating, while for Thernes, it was the seventh.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, the event was held virtually. Pre-pandemic, it would see some 2,000 riders complete the journey, en masse.
This year, Thernes and her mom pedalled the 100 kilometres together on Aug. 28. Thernes told Peace Arch News ahead of the ride that while the pandemic had changed various aspects of the fundraiser, it hadn’t changed their reason for doing it.
“This ride, it’s for them,” she said, referring to her aunt and the several others whose memories she planned to carry with her when she rode. “And it’s also for us, to be able to actually do something about it, to have a tangible way of creating a change and having a different outcome sooner rather than later.”
She and Cartmill are already signed up for the 2022 ride, Thernes added Monday.
tholmes@peacearchnews.com
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