As many of you who follow me on other forms of social media (twitter, Intsagram) may have already figured out, I’m back drinking the triathlon juice and am considering my first 70.3 (yup, you read it here first). I’ve been researching different races and checking out where I want my season to go, and through social media (mainly twitter) I have continued to came back to Joe’s Team Sprint Triathlon.

The Scoop.

Held at beautiful Lake Joseph on July 5th, athletes of all levels gather to participate in this event that raises money for cancer research. As the one goal is to conquer cancer, even if you are new to the world of sprint triathlons you can participate in your first race alongside other newbies or get a team together to do the relay. As I’ve seen online, they work hard to build a  sense of community, which is why so many athletes return to this event year after year.

This year is especially exciting for Joe’s Team as this will be their 8th year and their goal is to raise the remaining $1 million needed to establish the Joe Finley Centre for Head and Neck Cancer Research. The centre is name after the  man who started this event and his memory is kept alive through Joe’s Team. Check out why Joe started this event 8 years ago.

What does the money go towards exactly?

Dr. Fei Fei Lui who is a participant and doctor at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre shares in this interview what the impact is for cancer research. For example, the cancer centre team has grown from 5 people to 80 thanks to this event. Each participant raises a minimum of $500, which really doesn’t take much (a few facebook shares and tweets) since so many of us have been touched by cancer, and who doesn’t want to support their friend for such a great cause.

The After Party!

This part is super exciting – they have an awesome after party with Gord Downie, and The Sadies. As if I need to tell you who Gord Downie is! and I saw the Sadies for the first time last month during School Night Mondays at the Dakota Tavern. I was actually there with work folks to see our colleague Margaret Good (matriarch of the Good Family Band and mother of The Sadies) and they were all jamming as one gigantic folk family and it was amazing! This is an exclusive event as tickets are only available to Joe’s Team participants and a guest and the rumour is, it’s always a sold-out event!

So gather a team, or get yourself signed up for this incredible event! Because amazing things have when you TRI!