Tweed Heads Public School principal Jacquie McAllum’s promise to her late mother “to get fit” has taken on epic proportions.
The Tweed mentor is busy preparing for the Epic Bike Ride to Conquer Cancer, as a way to keep her promise and to raise money so others don’t lose their mums to the same disease.
The ride will be held in October and covers 200km over two days from Brisbane to Somerset and return.
Jacquie said each cyclist had to raise $2500 to be eligible for the ride and it will involve hundreds of riders of varying ages and ability.
“I have never embarked upon such a ride before and have only been riding for about eight months so this is an incredible personal challenge that I have taken on in order to support a good cause,” she said.
It is obviously a cause very close to her heart.
“My mum was very sick with cancer,” she said.
“One day she called me in and said: ‘I want you to promise me that you will get fit and lose weight’.”
Jacquie said her late mother’s “brutally honest” appraisal of the situation was a “wake-up” call and this ride, and the fitness regime needed to prepare for it, was a good way of keeping that promise.
“My training regime is gradually building up through regular rides of varying distances,” she admitted.
“At this stage I am up to a 50km ride so still have a way to go, but I know I am up for the challenge and will achieve this personal goal.
“I’m very aware of the impact of cancer on members of my own family, my school staff and members of the wider community and this is my contributing effort to help make a difference to fight this insidious disease.”
She said she bought a bike 12 months before starting this campaign but continued to procrastinate and find reasons not to ride. But with the ride to motivate her, she is now able to find the time to get out on the road two to three times a week.
Jacquie said riding had opened up a whole new world to her and she and her husband were already planning a biking holiday through Vietnam and a ride for prostate cancer later in the year.
She said the goals of her ride were to raise money, encourage more local riders to participate, encourage community support and to promote to her students and school community how positive and beneficial it is to have a personal goal.
