Next stop, Ireland

Five-hundred kilometres to go: Tony Griffin finishes the Canadian leg of his journey. (Pearce photo)

By all accounts, it was the Prairie wind and driving rain that delivered some of the worst moments of Tony GriffinÕs journey. ÒAt one point, that 40 km headwind was so strong, we had to drive the RV in front of Tony,” said Kinesiology grad and team member Matt Bethune.

ÒIt feels brilliant,” Mr. Griffin said about the teamÕs accomplishment. ÒI feel blessed to have had so many people come together and offer their support, and to have met so many great people along the way. Just fantastic.”

A hurling star in Ireland (that countryÕs national sport, akin to CanadaÕs hockey), in February, Mr. Griffin publicly announced his departure from the Clare hurling team to cycle across the second-largest land mass in the world, and his home country. At the June 24 event, hundreds of cyclers, supporters, family, volunteers and crew gathered to welcome him back to his Òsecond home” of Halifax. The Mayor of Ennis, Mr. Griffin's hometown, was in attendance, along with Mayor Peter Kelly and TonyÕs mother and three sisters.

Tony Griffin, left, was aided in his journey by Dal students Ben Whidden, Matt Bethune and Rob Book. (Pearce photo)

He credits Dalhousie for shaping his vision, and the strong Dalhousie team that was with him every step of the way.

ÒInspiring Minds is DalhousieÕs motto, and I believe it fully. Dalhousie inspired me to dream bigger than anything IÕd ever imagined," he said. "This wasnÕt something that I accomplished; we accomplished it together. It just goes to show that with the right people in your life, nothing is impossible.”

For the past six months, Mr. Griffin was trained by Dr. Stephen Cheung of the School of Health and Human Performance. Students Ben Whidden, Matt Bethune, Alison Keen and Rob Book were instrumental in the planning of the event, and accompanied him on his journey. They handled everything from driving the RV and taking care of logistics, to cycling alongside him to provide company on long, difficult stretches.

ÒIt was definitely a life-changing experience,” says Mr. Bethune. ÒPersonally, itÕs really opened my eyes to whatÕs possible. This started as an idea in our apartment on a cold November night. It just goes to show what can happen when you have a dream and decide to go for it.”

The Tony Griffin 7,000-km Ride for the Cure will come to a final finish in Ennis, Co. Clare on July 1, where a huge welcome home party is planned by an army of organizers in Ireland.