Cranberry woman to bike 200 miles on exercise bike for breast cancer research
A Cranberry Township woman will embark on a long journey to raise funds for breast cancer — without ever leaving her home.
Karen Weiss will ride a total of 200 miles on her Peloton exercise bike on Oct. 22 and 23 to raise money for the Susan G. Komen organization and to promote breast cancer awareness.
“Unfortunately, too many of us have family and friends who have been impacted by this disease,” Weiss’ donation page reads. “Together, let's show breast cancer patients there's a whole community standing by their side.”
Weiss got her exercise bike in March 2021, with the goal of improving her health. After hearing about PeloFondo, a community event for Peloton riders focused on long-distance mileage, Weiss knew she wanted to participate.
“One thing I do a lot of is goal setting, and I saw the PeloFondo, and people committing to a lot of miles, and I said, ‘I need a reason to do it,’” she said. “That’s where I decided to do the fundraising. I didn’t actually know if I could run 100 miles when I said I would, but I used the fundraising and charities as a way to motivate myself to get through it.”
Weiss decided to complete her ride for the first time last year to raise funds for Susan G. Komen, in honor of her friend, Terry Sue, who died of breast cancer five years ago.
“She was 47 and she passed, and I was 47 last year. For me, it was, ‘I’m doing something she would never have the chance to do,’” Weiss said. “It’s honoring every year that I continue to have life, and have everything that I have, that she never had an opportunity to.”
Weiss set a goal of $4,700 for her ride last year, or $100 for every year of her friend’s life. She ended up raising $7,400.
“As I started doing the fundraising, people started sharing their stories,” Weiss said. “A lot of people have experienced this, or gone through a scare themselves.”
Weiss’s goal, along with gathering money for the charity, is to make sure people are aware of the resources that exist for breast cancer patients.
“It's a very personal story for me, and it’s a good cause,” she said.
She encouraged people to keep up with their regular screening appointments to help catch breast cancer early.
“If you know someone who is going through this, they can use this as a resource,” she said. “We really need to be there for each other.”
Anyone interested in donating to Weiss’s drive can do so through the Facebook fundraiser “Karen's 100 Mile Challenge for Breast Cancer Awareness 2022.”
