NEWS

A stop in London is part of a major adventure for a B.C couple. Donna Bartel and Mike Pearson are completing a triathlon in every province and territory to raise money and awareness for ALS awareness after Donna's mother died of the illness. Follow their journey at www.triingtoendals.ca.

Lana Meier wrote a great article for The Express Weekly News in Arborg.
Corrine Einersson took the pictures for the article

We were at the Iqaluit Office of CBC North and met with Lissie Anaviapik. This news segment stems from our interview.
The interview was aired on the Indigenous radio program, Nipivut, but this are not uploaded online.

There was a time in early July when Donna Bartel and Mike Pearson faced three long days of driving.
The destination was Yellowknife and it was more than 2,600 kilometres away – a drive they needed to do after completing a race on Canada Day in Whitehorse, one of 18 races the couple are completing to raise money to find a cure for ALS.
The last thing they wanted to do after an exhausting race, involving paddling, cycling and running, was hop into their RV and drive for three days.
“The days were long, our bodies were tired and stiff, but we kept thinking that we only had to dig deep for a few days – people living with ALS have to dig deep every day,” the couple wrote in an email to their supporters.

That’s how important this journey is for them.

A couple from BC are coming to Yellowknife as part of their goal to participate in triathlons across every Canadian province and territory, raising awareness and funds for ALS research and treatment.
Donna Bartel and Mike Pearson will compete in the Midnight Sun Triathlon in Yellowknife on July 6 as part of their fundraising mission, “Tri’ing to End ALS.”

Donna Bartel and Mike Pearson are taking on an incredible challenge this year.
The Vernon couple are participating in triathlons in every province and territory in a four-and-a-half month span to raise money and awareness of ALS.
Their campaign, Tri’ing to end ALS, is months-long campaign taking them from Coast to Coast.
Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS is a nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. ALS causes loss of muscle control and gets worse over time.
Currently, there is no cure.

We were interviewed by Allan Wishart for the mid-day sports show Post to Post the show was rerun the next during a community new segment.

PRINCE GEORGE – Donna Bartel and Mike Pearson of Vernon, B.C., are taking on an incredible challenge: running in triathlons in every province and territory in a four and a half month span. Their campaign “Tri’ing to end ALS” is fundraising for ALS research and supports.

“We are trying to end ALS by doing a triathlon in every province and territory across Canada,” Bartel said.

How’s this for an adventure?
A couple from Vernon will be participating in a triathlon in every province and territory, including a stop in Prince George.
Donna Bartel and Mike Pearson will be competing to raise funds for ALS.

Two B.C. athletes will take part in 18 triathlons all across Canada as part of a fundraising journey for ALS research.
Donna Bartel, 60, and Mike Pearson, 64, will start this weekend in Nanaimo on their four-month effort to race 450 kilometres of triathlons to try to raise $600,000 for the ALS Society of B.C. and the society's Project Hope research at the University of British Columbia.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, formerly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a fatal neurological disease that attacks brain and spinal cells, leading to paralysis and the inability to breathe. The remaining life expectancy for those diagnosed is typically between two to five years.
According to the ALS Society of B.C., approximately 390 people in B.C. live with the disease at any given time.

NANAIMO — Competing in triathlons across the country won’t be easy, but a Vernon couple has motivation on their side.
Mike Pearson, 63, and Donna Bartel, 59, start Trii’ing to End ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) on Sunday, May 11 at Nanaimo’s Westwood Lake Park.
The devastating progressive, often fatal neurological disease affects brain and spinal cord nerve cells, leading to increasingly restrictive muscle control.
ALS claimed the life of Pearson’s great uncle and Bartel’s mother.

Every day, nearly three Canadians are diagnosed with ALS. Tragically, 80 per cent of them will die within two to five years.
But for TransLink’s Donna Bartel, that staggering statistic isn’t the end of the story. It’s a call to action.
In memory of her mother, in honour of her friend, and in hope for the future, Donna is on a mission to give support and hope to those living with ALS.
She’s raising money by competing in a triathlon in every single province and territory in Canada.