Despite bruises, blisters and aching muscles, Beverly Ruff and Melany Whittaker count their 60-kilometre walk for Breast Cancer research a smashing success.
“It was a blast!” says Whittaker.
The two Slave Lake woman joined four friends and as a team entered the two-day walk in held Aug. 20 & 21 in Vancouver.
Between them they had raised over $21,000 for the fundraiser, exceeding the minimum per-person requirement by almost $10,000.
The team joined about 1,800 other walkers, female and male, for a 35-kilometre jaunt around Vancouver on the first day. On the second they marched another 25k. It was unusually hot for Vancouver – about 30 degrees.
“We drank about 18 litres of fluid on the Saturday,” says Ruff.
That was the day they spent about 11 hours on the road altogether, including time spent on breaks.
There were crowds of supporters along the way, offering cool drinks.
In total, the walk raised $5.3 million for breast cancer research.
Ruff and Whittaker started training for the walk back in February, with regular and increasing workouts. Towards the end of June they ramped it up considerably with a 28-k hike to from Devonshire to Marten Beach in six hours with another group.
“That was such a turning point,” says Ruff. “After that we knew we could do it.”
Both women highly recommend the experience. Next year there will be one of the breast cancer walks in Edmonton for the first time, as well as in Calgary, Vancouver and other cities.
For more information, see the website endcancer.ca.

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