Stephanie Fauquier is doing 10 triathlons this summer to raise $250,000 for research into Alzheimer’s in honour of her mother, a renowned surgeon.Handout
The organizer: Stephanie Fauquier
The pitch: Raising $250,000
The reason: To support Alzheimer’s research at the University of Toronto
Stephanie Fauquier’s mother taught her at young age to set goals and work hard to achieve them.
“She had very high standards for me and my sister,” Ms. Fauquier recalled from her home in Toronto.
Ms. Fauquier’s mother, Robin McLeod, is a world-renowned surgeon who was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for her pioneering work in medicine and education. A couple of years ago, Dr. McLeod, 71, was diagnosed with aphasia, a type of cognitive impairment that can be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease. And over the past 18 months her illness has progressed into Alzheimer’s, her daughter said.
Ms. Fauquier, 34, wanted to do something to celebrate her mother and raise awareness about Alzheimer’s, which affects far more women than men.
She has been competing in triathlons for a few years and decided to use her love of the sport to raise money for research into the disease. She plans to compete in 10 triathlons this summer, one in every province, starting on May 28 and finishing on Sept. 17.
The races include two half-Ironman competitions – which consist of a two-kilometre swim, 90-km bike ride and a half-marathon run. She’ll also compete in two traditional triathlons – 1.5-km swim, 40-km bike ride and a 10-km run – as well as six sprint events which consist of a 750-metre swim, 20-km bike ride and 5-km run.
“I will do over 500 kilometres of racing, which I think is kind of crazy,” said Ms. Fauquier, who is the director of strategy at Telus Health, a division of Telus Communications Inc. She hopes to raise at least $250,000, which will go toward setting up an endowment fund at the University of Toronto’s Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases.
In addition to raising money, Ms. Fauquier, wants her “Race with Steph” to provide an example to others. “I just hope that people would feel inspired to chase and go after big goals,” she said. “That’s what my mom always did for me.”
Paul Waldie