Ultra marathon cyclist set to ride 7,200 KM in 18 days for charity

Mennonite Central Committee
Thursday, 7 June 2001

WINNIPEG, Man.-- Ultra marathon cyclist Arvid Loewen is embarking on the biggest cycling challenge of his life this summer.

The Winnipeg man is planning to ride his bicycle from Inuvik, N.W.T. to Point Pelee, Ont. a distance of 7,200 km. And he hopes to do it in 18 days, averaging 400 km a day.

Spoke 2001, July 3-20, will raise funds for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) water projects overseas and Family Life Network, a Mennonite Brethren international broadcast ministry. People wishing to donate can contact their nearest MCC office at 1-888-622-6337 or visit the Spoke 2001 web site at: www.spoke2001.ca

The grueling marathon will involve riding hundreds of kilometers over gravel roads, climbing mountains, battling prairie winds and maneuvering through thick traffic. Every day Loewen expects to hit emotional highs and lows, fight the temptation to quit, and find inner stores of strength.

"I can't think of a better training ground for life. Because you know in 48 hours you can experience those lows and highs," says Loewen, 44, summarizing the allure of ultra marathon cycling. "It's an experience that's very hard to describe, unless you've been part of it."

Loewen, a manager at Palliser Furniture in Winnipeg, only took up cycling in his mid-30s. He entered his first international race a couple of years later in 1995. Since then he's raced 14 times internationally, covering distances up to 1,200 km, while riding more than 60 hours with little rest.

Two years ago, he cycled from Vancouver to Winnipeg in five and a half days. Spoke '99 raised $32,000 Cdn/$21,000 U.S. for Family Life Network. He says riding for charity gives his endurance challenges more meaning than simply racing to finish first.

This time, Loewen is choosing MCC as a recipient, along with Family Life Network, because MCC helped his parents when they fled as refugees from Russia to Paraguay in 1930. Because water will sustain him on his long ride, he has chosen to support water projects overseas, in particular, clean drinking water for Brazil and Mozambique.

"I think it's a really neat way of drawing attention to some very worthy causes," says his wife Ruth, who will head up Loewen's support crew for Spoke 2001. Their three teenage children will also be part of the support crew.

Loewen, a member of North Kildonan Mennonite Brethren Church, also expects to share his faith story along the way, as he did with Spoke '99.

While Loewen acknowledges the arduous nature of his race, he also says he doesn't quit easily. "All of us can compete for doing our best. And most of us don't," he says. "The bottom of the barrel is a lot further away than we think."

To learn more about Spoke 2001 Water for Life, and how to donate, please visit the Spoke 2001 web site at: www.spoke2001.ca

For more information, or to contact Mennonite Central Committee, see their website at: www.mcc.org