Megan McCarthy has been running, swimming and biking as much as possible in preparation for her first ever triathlon this month.
So, the Marystown native figured she might as well use all that effort to generate some money for a good cause at the same time.
The 26-year-old hopes to do her part to raise awareness and research funds for pancreatic cancer, in honour of Kate Parsons, through her participation in the ‘Give It A Tri’ race at the Toronto Island Triathlon Aug. 14.
Kate Parsons of Marystown passed away in 2003 as a result of the deadly form of the disease.
Growing up, Ms. McCarthy was a friend of Kate’s daughter Serina Parsons, and niece Amanda Hannam. Amanda last year started ‘Katie’s Cause’ in this province, a branch of the Nova Scotia-based ‘Craig’s Cause Pancreatic Cancer Society’.
On the local swim team as a youth, she just recently took up the sport again and thought competing in a triathlon would be a good challenge. The ‘Give It A Try’ event includes a 400-metre swim, 10-kilometre bike ride and a 2.5-kilometre run.
“I’ve been training for about four months. I’ll do biking, swimming and running in a day …” - – Megan McCarthy
“I’ve been training for about four months. I’ll do biking, swimming and running in a day, but I’ll have like an hour in between.”
Ms. McCarthy said she plans to put them all together this week for a practice run for the first time.
Ms. Parsons, who presently lives in Halifax, is a member of the Board of Directors for Craig’s Cause, formed by Stefanie Condon-Oldreive in 2006 in memory of her father who passed away six years ago at age 63, just two months after his diagnosis.
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality in Canada. Fewer than 20 per cent of people, who are diagnosed with it, are alive a year later. The statistic dives to less than five per cent after five years.
Still, funding for pancreatic cancer research is among the lowest for all the different forms of cancer.
Anyone interested in making a donation towards Ms. McCarthy’s effort may do so online, by visiting ‘www.craigscause.ca’ and clicking the link on the main page.
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