COAST-TO-COAST BIKE RIDE FOR GUELPH HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
On May 16th we welcomed Terry Manning who is about to embark on a 6000km bike tour across the US and Canada. Terry is a member of the Board of Directors for the Foundation, and was accompanied and introduced by David Parr from the Foundation's Planned Giving Committee. Terry came dressed appropriately to promote a bike ride!
Terry Manning's incredible 6,000 kilometre bike ride across North America begins June 16 at Astoria, Oregon and ends August 5 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with one leg running through Ontario from Sarnia to Niagara Falls. Terry's target is to raise $10/kilometre, a total of $60,000 for Guelph General Hospital's Emergency Department!
Rotarian Geoff Allen, on behalf of our Rotary Club, was pleased to be able to present Terry with a donation cheque for $500. As of May 16th Terry had already raised more than $14,000 in donations.
A copy of the May 14th Press Release regarding the Coast-to-Coast bike tour follows (click on the "more" link......)
Terry’s Tour 2K13 Media Release
No one has to tell Terry Manning to get off the couch.
Manning, 69, a self-described former “desk jockey,” is in the final planning stages of a cross-country bike tour that will span 6,000 kilometres and touch both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. His goal is to raise $60,000 for Guelph General Hospital’s Linamar emergency department.
“The tour is simply something I want to do, with the second goal of raising money,” says Manning. “At 69, I don’t have that much more time for cycling. It keeps me motivated.”
Manning was not always so active. But 18 years ago, he turned his life around and vowed to get fit after he discovered he was, in his words, “growing out. he was no longer happy with himself and decided to get moving.
His hard work paid off. He ran his first of six half-marathons at age 60, and continued on to run two full marathons, the Niagara Falls International and the Cleveland Marathon. But a knee injury in 2008 prompted him to turn to more knee-friendly cycling. He completed a 1,500-kilometre Atlantic Canada tour in 2009, and went on to ride the 8,000-kilometre Tour du Canada ride in 2011.
This first experience with extreme long distance cycling left Manning hungry for more. His election to the Guelph General Hospital Foundation board coincided with his desire to complete another ride, which led him to combine the two activities and fundraise while completing his personal goals.
Manning will ride with the tour group America By Bicycle in a 50-day trip. He hopes to raise money from donors who “buy” kilometres for $10 apiece. Manning and his wife Priscilla will be covering expenses, allowing all donations to be given to the hospital.
The tour runs from June 16 to August 5. In the meantime, Manning has been logging plenty of miles on the road to prepare for up to nearly 200-kilometre days.
So, is he concerned about his age catching up with him this trip?
It doesn’t appear so.
“I was one of the oldest riders on the last tour, and probably will be this time as well,” says Manning. “I’m more concerned about weather and traffic.”
