Arvid Loewen is one crazy uncle with a grandpa’s heart big enough for 2000 kids.
Most of us have an uncle that we might refer to as, ahem, odd or quirky…maybe he has ear hairs inches long, or he wears the ugliest sweaters to family gatherings, or he brings smelly picked fish as his offering to the potluck.
My odd uncle works to set a world record that requires huge perseverance, the strictest mental discipline, and the physical stamina that blows my mind.
He set off 3.5 days ago from Vancouver to see if he can cycle across Canada beating the world record of 13 days. He’s been sleeping an 1.5-2.5 hours per night, and eats constantly…with KFC being a favorite because of its high calorie content that is greasy enough to slide down a throat parched from hours on the bike. He’s just crossing the border from Saskatchewan into Manitoba around the time I write this.
Who would do such a thing? Why?
He does it as a fundraiser for Mully Children’s Family…an orphanage in Kenya that has some really cool ways of loving kids off the streets, giving them an education and having them learn singing, karate, and trade skills along the way. They do some amazing innovative agricultural stuff that allows it to increasingly move towards a greater percentage of being self sustaining…and hired local underemployed folk to help with these projects, giving employment to the community. They have ongoing needs…and Uncle Arvid is helping fundraise.
He’s a grandpa to 3 (almost 4) children…he had a great job in management at a furniture company in town…and gave it up to pursue ultramarathon cycling as a platform to raise awareness of MCF. He has a passion for these kids, and works in all sorts of ways to help fund the orphanage.
I think he’s pretty cool.
The “back story” is that Arvid got into cycling cuz his knees were bad from playing soccer and so he couldn’t run…cycling was a great alternative. The guy who can’t run finished first in his age class in RAAM (Race Across America, the most grueling bike race in the world. I think that’s pretty funny.
What’s less funny is that Arvid is now having trouble walking…his hip has gone bad because of a variety of circumstances, and will be replaced in September. One leg is 2 inches shorter than the other. The doctor encourages this cycling because it will have him in good shape to recover from the surgery. He cycles in pain.
Crazy Uncle Arvid has chutzpah. Drive to make a difference. Dedication to make it happen.
Go, Arvid Go!!
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