Coast Mental Health challenges British Columbians to have the Courage 2 Go Further

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — You’ve heard of the Courage To Come Back, but what about the Courage 2 Go Further? That’s the name of the latest fundraiser from Coast Mental Health, to benefit British Columbians living with mental illness.

You’re invited to take on your own individual challenge — whether it’s biking around Stanley Park, hiking the Grouse Grind, or just walking around the block for a month.

Amanda Lau is leading a team of cyclists on a day-long trip from Vancouver to Whistler next Friday.

“So, we’ll go Seymour to Grouse to Cypress, we’re going to head up the Sea to Sky Highway, and we will take a left into [the] Callaghan [Valley] and then we will finish our ride in Whistler,” she explains.

The Kitsilano to Whistler Village trip will cover 250 kilometres in under 12 hours. Lau says, while it sounds ambitious, this isn’t exactly their first bike ride.

“A lot of us have done a lot of stage races or have done a lot of training. So, our bodies are quite used to this type of distance and intensity,” she says. “It’s not for everybody but it’s our Courage 2 Go Further and we love cycling together. It’s going to be hard, but it’s also going to be a really fun day.”

RELATED: Courage To Come Back Awards are back honouring ordinary people, leading extraordinary lives

Lau adds mental health is a cause near-and-dear to her heart and she hopes others take up the challenge.

“It’s an avenue of being physically fit and channeling your energy into something that’s healthy like cycling. It doesn’t even have to be cycling. It can be running, it can be walking, it could be rowing. But I do feel like bringing an awareness, and just talking about it is very important — especially during these times.”

Coast Mental Health came up with the Courage 2 Go Further challenge to augment its signature fundraiser, the Courage To Come Back Awards, which it established in 1999. Last year’s gala was cancelled due to the pandemic. The 2021 event was a virtual affair hosted by Sportsnet 650 personality Corey Hirsch and raised $1.6 million, which will go directly to crucial programs to support people living with mental illness in the Lower Mainland.

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