Family Half Ironman for Cancer Research & Support

We've all been affected by Cancer in one way or another….

The #abelsonboys (Bernard, Jason and Zac) will be doing our first ever Half Ironman triathlon on 17 September 2023 at Cultus Lake outside Vancouver, Canada. A Half Ironman is a 1.9km lake swim, followed by a 90km bike ride, and ends with a 21km half marathon, and takes over 6 hours to complete. We have never done an event of this scale before and to be honest, it's a pretty daunting prospect!

Given the scale of such an event, we want to make it count, and so are making this a fundraising event to aid cancer research and support! Almost everyone has been affected by cancer whether themselves or someone close to them. Fundraisers like this we hope can one day cure cancer forever, and possibly even save our own lives.

During the pandemic when gyms and pools were closed, both Jason and Zac began joining their father Bernard doing open water swims and road rides, and in late 2020 we organised our own Olympic distance triathlon, supported by our wife and mother Kay, making it a true #abelsonfamily event! That spurred our decision to take on this half ironman challenge, likely one of very few times a father and TWO sons have done such an event together for their first time.

The training has been going on in earnest, and now we are only a few weeks away! We have set an ambitious combined fundraising goal of $10,000 to reflect the challenge we face, and hope you will support us and cancer research by donating, knowing that every dollar counts! Please when donating, let us know in whose honour you are donating and all three of us will carry those names with us during the event to remind us that our endurance on the day is nothing compared to the endurance many with cancer have themselves endured, which will also motivate us to get to the finish line!

So yes, this is a request for your charitable support, with all donations going directly to the Canadian Cancer Society for immediate use. Read more about the Society below.

Thank you in anticipation, and we will share with you both our training updates and the event itself once done!

Bernard, Jason, Zac, and Kay Abelson

More information about Canadian Cancer Society: Today and every day, all of us at the Canadian Cancer Society are committed to making a difference in the lives of the nearly half of Canadians expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. We fund groundbreaking research into more than 100 types of cancer. We are proud to offer compassionate programs and support services so no one has to face cancer alone. Learn more at www.cancer.ca.