RHYS THOMAS
NEARLY 200 cyclists took on the arduous journey from Cairns to Cooktown as they raised close to half a million dollars in this year’s QSuper Cardiac Challenge.
Organised by the Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation, the QSuper Cardiac Challenge is one of the region’s largest fundraising events as they raise millions of dollars for local health services.
Cyclists partake in fundraising initiatives in the lead up to the challenge either as individuals or as teams and the 180 cyclists who participated in this year’s challenge all reported an overwhelmingly exceptional experience.
With good weather and a few showers, the ride was reported as a more enjoyable experience than previous years.
This year’s fundraising goal was set to $400,000 and as of print $374,598 has been successfully raised with more expected to trickle in over the coming days.
This year’s king of fundraising was Tony Nastasi who ended up raising over $25,000 while Cardiac Maniacs raised the most money out of any team with a total of $36,353.
“The average amount raised per rider is $2111 which is fantastic and more money will come in over the next month,” Foundation spokesperson Robyn Rankin said.
“The Foundation is working with Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service on equipment that will be bought from this year’s event.”
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