Don Patterson receives a warm welcome at the YMCA in St. John’s after riding more than 7,000 km across Canada to raise funds and awareness for the YMCA Strong Kids program.
Don Patterson, a long-time Realtor with Royal LePage Kingsbury in Mississauga, Ont. and a 58-year-old grandfather of two, recently completed a 7,232-km ride across Canada to increase awareness of the need to get our youth active and to raise funds for the local YMCAs so more kids can participate in their great programs.
It took him 28 days, three hours to complete the coast-to-coast ride, averaging 255 km per day. “My shortest daily ride was 158 km and my longest was 442 km, which was through the Prairies with a nice tailwind, so I just kept going from 3 am until 9 pm that evening,” says Patterson. Typically, he was on the road by 4 am, enjoying the quiet of the early morning, the birds starting to sing and the beautiful sunrises.
With no support vehicle, he carried all his own gear and had to change a flat tire and make minor repairs from time to time. It also meant that he had to arrange his own lodging and food each day. Patterson had unofficial destinations in mind but this often went by the wayside depending on the weather and how his legs felt. While he never had to sleep under the stars, he almost got stuck one night in Pembroke, Ont., when all lodging was booked due to an event. Luckily, he was overheard speaking with the desk folks in the lobby of one hotel, and was offered a spot on a pullout couch by a guest who happened to be a former board member of a YMCA.
Patterson has raised close to $20,000 so far for YMCA Strong Kids, and is confident the tally will continue to rise throughout the remainder of the year, pushing toward his $50,000 goal. “The other major factor is the incredible awareness this initiative has generated through media exposure and through the many people I met during the month – from farmers to travelling musicians to truck drivers. It seemed everyone had a Y story to share and were also impressed by how much this skinny guy could eat,” says Patterson, who noted that his daily calorie intake was 8,000 to 10,000 and he still lost weight.
Patterson’s ride is chronicled, from start to finish, complete with photos, on his blog at www.ykids.blog.com. Donations can be made there as well.
