IOWA CITY– Courage Ride, an annual charity bike ride benefiting the University of Iowa’s sarcoma cancer research program, announced it will resume as both an in-person and virtual event. It also added a second start/finish location at the Washington County Fairgrounds taking riders along the Kewash Trail to Keota. The 17th Annual Courage Ride also returns to Big Grove Brewery and Taproom in Iowa City.
The Washington location offers two routes along the beautiful Kewash Trail, a limestone surfaced trail along a former railway.
Big Grove offers six routes continuing to take riders through the scenic Amish countryside near Hills and Kalona and out as far as Washington and Keota for the longer routes. A 5-mile Family Fun ride to the Terry Trueblood Recreational Area is also offered.
Courage Ride is following federal, state and local pandemic guidelines, as of May 2021, to ensure a safe ride experience in 2021. COVID measures are subject to change as regulations, restrictions and recommendations change prior to the Aug. 14 event.
“We feel so blessed to be able to return to in-person riding for those who can. Last year was definitely a challenge and we really missed seeing everyone who has come out and supported us over the past 16 years,” said Courage Ride Director Leora Houghton. “And we are so excited to add Washington, as a second location. This location is a great opportunity to grow our event and offer a different trail ride experience for those who like to get closer to nature. Growing the event means more dollars going into sarcoma cancer research at the university where they are making great progress on this rare form of cancer.”
Courage Ride honors the life of Seth Bailey, a courageous young man who died at age 25 from Sarcoma Cancer in 2003. His parents, Jackie and Tom Bailey partnered with Bicyclists of Iowa City (BIC) in 2005 to create a ride all levels of bicyclists can enjoy.
Courge Ride organizers anticipate between 600-700 bicyclists to register for the event. Beginning at 7 a.m., bicyclists travel on eight different routes. Routes from Big Grove include lengths of 5, 18, 37 miles (Seth Bailey Courage Loop), 58, 72 or 107 miles (Tom Bailey Century route). Routes from the Washington County Fairgrounds include lengths of 17 and 35 miles.
Bicyclists at Big Grove can also participate in a silent auction, featuring items from a variety of area businesses, organizations and craftsmen, along with free skin cancer screenings by University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics dermatologists. The local community is also welcome to participate in the free skin cancer screenings.
A Live Facebook Fundraising event will be held Thursday, Aug. 12, at www.facebook.com/courageride.
All proceeds from Courage Ride go to the University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Sarcoma Research Program. Over the past 16 years, Courage Ride raised over $660,000 for Sarcoma Cancer Research.
To date, Courage Ride proceeds seeded numerous Sarcoma Cancer research grants. Many of the grants evolved into promising, larger scale research studies. The newfound momentum in the Sarcoma Research Program created a lot of enthusiasm among researchers, investigators, doctors and cancer care providers at the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. The results are leading to new advancements, new partnerships and attracting some of the best research talent in the nation. Patient lives are improved as a result of these research studies and the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center is gaining worldwide recognition for its expertise in advancing Sarcoma Research.
Courage Ride’s mission is more crucial than ever considering funding for cancer research has been shrinking over the past ten years, according to the American Association for Cancer Research. Yet cancer remains one of the nation’s costliest diseases. The American Cancer Society’s 2020 estimates for soft tissue sarcomas in the United States (the statistics include both adults and children) project that 13,130 new soft tissue sarcomas will be diagnosed (7,470 cases in males and 5,660 cases in females) and 5,270 Americans (2,840 males and 2,430 females) are expected to die of soft tissue sarcomas. Over 100 adults and children in Iowa are diagnosed with sarcoma each year. Sarcoma receives one to two percent of all cancer research funding.
Registration is now open.
Early adult registration is $75 (through Friday, Aug. 6). Beginning Aug. 7, adult registration is $85. On-site registration Friday, Aug. 13 and 14, is $90. Youth registration (13-17) is $15. Registration includes breakfast and lunch, entertaining rest stops and SAG support. A victory party with live music will be held throughout the afternoon.
Visit www.CourageRide.org for more information about the event, including registration, route maps, parking or to make a donation.