Always up for a challenge, and anxious to help a worthy cause, Shannon Todd Booth headed out on a 200-km bicycle adventure this past weekend that she – and her backside and legs – won’t soon forget.
While most participants climbed aboard their road bikes, this 47-year-old Brookswood woman chose to ride her three-shift Trek cruiser on her inaugural ride for the BC Lung Association.
The annual Bike Trek is a fundraising ride that passed through Langley this weekend – both Saturday and again on Sunday – with riders travelling back and forth between South Surrey and Cultus Lake.
“Both days were fantastic, the first 50 km is exciting and fun, you can’t quite believe you’re doing it… the last 50 km is harder and the later hills can really be a mind game for you, you count blocks, miles, minutes,” said Todd Booth, who has been training for the past few months.
“I was riding weekly, but in hindsight, not long enough distances – as the schedule dictates, and I just didn’t have the time,” she said.
She was the newest member of the Langley Lung Nuts, championed by Dr. Rita Whittmann, a respiratory specialist from Langley who has been a top individual fundraiser for a number of years in a row.
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Asked what motivated Todd-Booth to participate, the professional fundraiser paused before sharing her motivations with the Langley Advance.
“There are a number of reasons: a great organization doing great work in education, advocacy, research and support; friends had done it and I knew it was a well run event; the personal challenge is good for me – having something to work towards that’s more physical/fitness oriented is good for me – it reminds me to put it in the schedule.”
Yes, she was a rookie this time out.
She’s pleased she managed to raise close to $1,000 for the cause.
Likewise, she’s pleased she finished the ride – although admitting she had to hoof it up a few of the hills on foot.
“The hills I managed to climb on my bike were highlights, the company and the common purpose were highlights. Our team was the best part, and the other cheerleaders along the way, the volunteers, the other riders… fantastic.”
Asked if she’d do it again, Todd Booth said it was likely.
“I want to do it again next year, but I will definitely train better,” she said, thanking her team, other riders, and BC Lung volunteers for giving her – and others – tremendous support on the journey.
“I also really like the team atmosphere and the feeling of achieving something on a variety of levels,” she said.
CAPTION: Hundreds of cyclists rolled through Langley, along Zero Avenue, early Saturday morning as part of the BC Lung Association's Bike Trek.
