It was October last year when Carole Rocheleau got the news no one wanted to hear: she had cancer. It was in the lungs and liver; the prognosis was not good. But she kept her spirits high and fought hard. Her battle came to an end on March 19 of this year.
But in sadness there can also bring a chance to spark hope. That’s at least how her son 32-year-old Tyler Booth looked at it. He wanted to find a way to keep his mother’s legacy alive while helping others.
The employee at Fresh Air Experience, a bike tune-up and repair service in Wellington West, was already training for the Ironman Triathlon after first hearing about the race from his colleague Sam Smith. However, he did not really know what he was getting into.
“It sounded like a pretty cool idea. Initially, I thought it was like a Spartan Race or like an obstacle course run thing,” Booth told KT. “Quickly, I really realized that was not the case. But seeing how hard it was and how much of a challenge it was going to be, made me want to do it even more.”
Booth began his training before Rocheleau got sick. After the prognosis, he kept training six days a week while working full time and taking care of his fighting mother.
A team of six friends – the others had all known each other from the Rideau Canoe Club – had decided early on they wanted to raise money for a good cause. After Rocheleau’s passing, one of them suggested raising money for the Canadian Cancer Society.
“The guys right off the bat were supportive,” said Booth.
Booth felt it was the least he could do. After all, it was always in Rocheleau’s heart to give back.
“She treated everyone like family, even strangers. She had endless empathy for people; she was just so caring,” said Booth. “My mom loved her family so much. Even when she was fighting cancer and knew in the back of her mind that it wasn’t going to end well, she was always reassuring us, taking care of her family first and making sure that we’re okay. I felt extremely blessed to be raised by such a wonderful person.”
On average, 675 Canadians are diagnosed with cancer every day, with 241 people sadly losing their lives from the disease in this country every 24 hours. Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of the disease in Canada, with about 32,100 citizens being diagnosed with it per year. Around 20,700 Canadians were projected to have died from it last year – accounting for nearly one-quarter of cancer-releated deaths in Canada.
Smith, who has been athletic his entire life, wanted to take part in Ironman to test his resilience. But when the opportunity came to raise money, the 21-year-old was fully onboard. “Everyone is impacted in some way by cancer. I have extended family members who have unfortunately had cancer. Thankfully, none of them have passed away, but it affects us all,” Smith said. “And obviously doing it in support of a friend means so much more to us.”
The training and outcome
Ironman is one of the most strenuous triathlons you can compete in. Participants began with a 3.8 kilometre swimming loop in the Ottawa River at Britannia Beach, before embarking on a 180-kilometre bike ride, and then a 42.2 kilometre marathon.
Three sports mean three sets of training. Booth said they tried to participate in at least two a day. The group crossed Ottawa from Mooney’s Bay, to the Dominion Arboretum, and even out to farm fields in the country. They wanted to get a feel for all environments since the course stretched across most of the city.
“It was mentally and physically a lot,” admitted Booth. “Along the way, there were some injuries and obstacles too. But it was all to lead us to victory in the end.”
And that it did. Matt O’Neil was the first of the squad of six to finish the course at 11:09:40. Olan Bradford finished second among his group at 11:32:36. Then came Booth at 11:37:43, followed by Kieran Graham at 11:39:33, Jacob Price at 12:53:25, and Smith at 13:11:10. Athletes were given 17 hours to complete the entire track.
The group set a goal of raising $10,000, but was able to bring in a little over $26,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.
Now that the triathlon is over, the group of friends say they are looking to keep in touch and perhaps participate in a similar event in the future.
“It’s been awesome being in Ottawa and has definitely made it a very special first time experience participating. But maybe we want to look at getting out there and doing a different one. There’s a number of them across Canada and oodles more internationally,” said O’Neil, 21.
Smith agrees – but maybe not so soon.
“It’s such a big commitment time-wise, and I still have another year of school left. So maybe not next year, maybe down the line, it’s something I’d consider. I think Half Iron Man might be a little bit more feasible though,” he said.
Booth also felt a half Ironman would be a bit more doable. He also has his eyes set on qualifying for the Boston Marathon.
“That’s going to be my next goal for hopefully next May,” said Booth.
