Cross-Canada trek for cancer
Mon May 12, 2008
By: By Kristen Calis
PICKERING -- Professional Standards Detective Chris Blackman will soon endure a gruelling 19 days and 7,600 kilometres on his bike, and although he knows it will be a tough ride, he's happy to do it for the thousands of kids living with cancer in Canada. "A week after I'm finished my pain's going to go away," the Pickering resident says. "Unfortunately I can't say the same about some of the kids suffering from cancer." Det. Blackman, a Toronto officer, and 49 other cyclists will take off from Vancouver, B.C. on June 2 for the Sears National Kids Cancer Ride where they'll cycle all the way to Halifax, N.S. They'll be joined by thousands of other cyclists riding shorter journeys along the way, ranging from 25 to 200 kilometres. All of the proceeds raised by participants like Det. Blackman will go towards programs that improve the quality of life for kids with cancer and their families, as well as helping them recover from physical and emotional scars from the disease. Some programs currently being considered include ones that help reintegrate children into school after they've had long absences and family support services. Det. Blackman personally hopes to raise $25,000. "There's a fair amount to raise and it takes a lot of people to do it," he says. Det. Blackman's quest to help kids with cancer stems from seeing people close to himself battle the disease. His brother-in-law, for example, died from the disease in 1998. "He was a very important part of my life and in his memory I do a lot of what I do," he says, adding it's tough enough for adults to deal with the disease and he can only imagine what it would be like for a kid. Det. Blackman emphasized 10,000 children have cancer at any given time in Canada, and although a growing number of children with cancer become long-term survivors, "you're never really cured. It's always on the back of your mind." The detective participated in the Tour for Kids ride the past three years, where he rode for four days from Mississauga to areas as far as Muskoka. On this much longer mission, he thinks he'll have to ride with a certain amount of focus, "but the focus is more external for me. "It's not focusing on myself doing something; it's focusing on the cause," he says. Det. Blackman began training four hours per day but has now reduced it to riding to work (it's 50 kilometres away) three days a week and cycling Saturdays and Sundays to help prepare him for the six hours of riding, and eight hours of resting he'll do every day for 19 days. He looks forward to the synergy that comes from working hard with people with a common goal, and especially meeting the children they're helping along the way. "It gives you a different perspective," he says. Pledges can be made online at www.searsnationalkidscancerride.com, and Det. Blackman can be found under the name Arlington Blackman under the 'Pledge a national rider' icon.