Memorial ride exceeds expectations

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This article was published 30/08/2021 (1681 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A memorial ride in honour of a young athlete who died too soon that was held earlier this month did better than expected in terms of scope and fundraising.

Twelve-year-old Ole Heie of Camrose, Alta. died suddenly while out for a run on July 10.

It came as a shock to those who knew the talented multi-disciplinary athlete who dreamed of being an Olympian and had friends across the world who bonded with him over social media because of their shared love of biking, running and skiing.

That included the board members of Valley Life Recreation in Minnedosa. Ole’s mother Leigh comes from the area and her son was a heavy user of the Squirrel Hills Trail Park when visiting family.

To honour their friend, the board members of Valley Life organized a 172-kilometre bike around and inside Riding Mountain National Park with the goal of raising $100 for every kilometre travelled. The money will go to further developing the trail park and to build a feature in Ole’s memory that will be designed and named after him.

The campaign not only met that goal but far surpassed it. As of Sunday afternoon, the fundraising counter on Valley Life’s read $27,828.10 — more than $10,000 over than the original goal.

Not only that, but Ole’s story inspired other cyclists riding alone or in groups to also get out and ride as a show of support in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Quebec and in his hometown in Alberta.

Speaking to the Sun on Sunday by phone, Valley Life board chair Dave Ternier said that while it was bucketing rain when the seven riders departed Minnedosa on the morning of the ride, by the time they reached the starting point it had stopped and the weather was nice for the rest of the 13-hour ride.

“The weather cooperated almost to the point where it was hard to think somebody else was in control of it,” Ternier said. “I don’t want to say it was divine or anything like that. We left Minnedosa at 4:30 in the morning, it was just pouring rain. When we got to Russell, the rain quit. When we got to Inglis and unloaded bikes and got ready to roll, there wasn’t a drop of moisture coming from the sky and it remained that way until a couple of hours after we finished the ride.”

However, the soggy ground did make for a challenging obstacle during the race’s first and second legs.

“The second stretch, which was a 58-kilometre stretch over mostly soft, grassy covered trail and the only stretch where we had no vehicle support or access … that was the longer four hours of riding any of us has ever done. It was demanding. There were some dark moments, some moments of self-doubt that we wouldn’t be able to finish it.”

The rain also had another positive effect on the event. Ole’s father, Rob, who wasn’t sure if he would be able to participate in the ride, had his crops rained on and was able to make the long drive from Alberta to Manitoba knowing that he wouldn’t be able to do much with his fields while they dried out.

Rob and Leigh rode the entire length of the trip while their daughter Ava joined the pack for the journey’s final 68-kilometre leg. When they reached the historic eastern gate of the national park, the trio crossed through first.

“Having Leigh get onto Ole’s bike for the final stretch was certainly a moment that many of us won’t soon forget,” Ternier said. “Having her and Rob and Ava lead the team down the final descent towards East Gate and having her lead us over the finish line was a pretty emotionally powerful moment that really completed the ride and, I think, precisely the way it needed to be finished.”

Valley Life isn’t sure what form the trail feature made in Ole’s name will take yet, but they plan to connect their designer with the family so that it can be developed with his personality and preferences in mind. If all goes well, Ternier hopes the section will be built sometime next year.

“It certainly, in a very successful way, surpassed any expectations that we had from a lot of different angle,” Ternier said.

» cslark@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @ColinSlark