Here’s the best news you might read all summer: this year’s End2End cycling relay raised more than $300,000!
It’s hard to wrap our heads around that number. We were already bursting with gratitude on June 18 when the two-day, non-stop, 1,000 kilometre ride concluded with the announcement that $272,843 had been raised for the Island Kids Cancer Association. Now, with all the accounting done, the total has reached a phenomenal $301,686.03.
That’s an astounding amount for any community-based effort, let alone a second-year event like ours — and it’s all thanks to the people of Vancouver Island. As our motto says, “Islanders helping Islanders.”
The relay was a gruelling challenge in which a team of nine cyclists, riding in groups of two or three, took turns battling windy days, dark nights and fatigue while pedalling from Victoria to Port Hardy and back non-stop.
The riders (and their supporters) built on the success of the inaugural 2025 relay, which raised more than $110,000. They pushed up this year’s total by reaching out to more donors and adding more events — everything from hockey games to concerts and cookie sales. The people at Vancouver Island’s 21 Scotiabank branches (including district vice-president Sophia Pugh, who was one of this year’s riders) made a huge difference – but so did every kid who put up a lemonade stand.
The flip side of the coin is equally as impressive: all those donations went straight to the cause. Our bills for staging End2End totalled just $2,369, with that entire amount picked up by a few supporters who gave money specifically to cover expenses.
How were expenses kept so low? First, ours is an all-volunteer event. No one at End2End gets paid.
Second, almost all the costs of staging the relay were covered by our wonderful, community-minded sponsors. They provided (and fuelled) the support-crew vehicles that accompanied the riders on their journey. They fed and provided beds for our volunteers. Our organizing sponsor, Victoria’s Trek Bicycle store, absorbed the soft (and many not-so-soft) costs. A peek at the Sponsors page at end2endcancer.com will give you an idea of the businesses that stepped up to help.
The result of all this – lots of money raised, combined with low expenses – meant more money for the Island Kids Cancer Association — a small frontline charity that provides financial aid, mental-health supports and other services to Vancouver Island families blindsided by childhood cancer.
Now the challenge will be to do it again in 2027. As was the case this year, when nine new riders – Pugh, Ed Bain, Saskia Bjornson, Ryan Clarke, Morgan Harker, Jeff King, Jen Millar, Kevin Nunn and Sara Park – climbed onto their bikes, a whole new team will be selected for next June’s relay. Watch end2endcancer.com in September for more news about the application process.