THE 1,000-KM EVENT

Pierre Lavoie invites all experienced and devoted cyclists to the 5th annual 1,000-km event, to take place from June 14 to June 16, 2013. This major endeavour of the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie is sure to rally all of Quebec, as it did in its first two years.

A Spectacular Cycling Marathon

Cycling 1,000 km in 60 hours. Travelling from Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean to Montréal. Seeing Québec and many other cities across the province where stops are scheduled. That’s what the 1,000‑km event is all about.

The number of cyclists who wish to participate in the event grows each year, and spaces go quickly. In 2012, because of high demand, we made room for an additional 9 teams. As always, Pierre will lead the pack along the entire route while teams of four or five cyclists switch off behind him.

The 1,000-km event is a major happening supported by a devoted team of organizers and volunteers. The work and energy of a hundred or so volunteers is coordinated by an organizing committee, most of whose members come from Saguenay.

Two new features in the 2012 program will return in 2013

1. Each 2013 team must partner with an elementary school of its choice. The goal of this partnership is to get the school to register for May’s Get up and move! challenge. In addition, teams act as sponsors of students’ healthy life habits. Funds raised by the teams that exceed the team registration fee will be returned to the schools.

2. Teams are invited to introduce as a member someone who wishes to become more active. The addition of a team member who wants to change his or her lifestyle and join the health improvement movement is strongly recommended, though not required.

An Event Where Hope Shines

The Grand défi Pierre Lavoie raised 1.2 million dollars in 2011 to promote healthy life habits among young people and support hereditary orphan disease research through the GO Foundation’s scholarships and grants.

School sponsorships were a great success!

Participants in the 1,000-km event raised $800,000 through the school sponsorship program in 2012. Each cycling team was invited to partner with one or several elementary schools and encourage them to register for the Get Up and Move contest. In return, the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie donated all the money raised in excess of team registration fees to the sponsored schools. In total, 145 teams participated, raising $800,000 that was redistributed to nearly 250 elementary schools for projects that promote healthy life habits.

Here are the top 25 teams who have raised the highest amounts in their sponsored school(s):

Rank	Team name	Amount
1	Desjardins – Marché des capitaux	28 700$
2	Desjardins – Trésorerie	21 511$
3	Club de hockey Canadien – Glorieux	20 239$
4	Club de hockey Canadien – Habs	20 239$
5	Club de hockey Canadien – Rouge	20 239$
6	Club de hockey Canadien – Tricolore	20 239$
7	Club de hockey Canadien – Blanc	20 238$
8	Club de hockey Canadien – Bleu	20 238$
9	Consortium Montréal-Nord	16 320$
10	Assemblée nationale	15 225$
11	La Passerelle	14 590$
12	Excellence Construction / Partenaire-Conseils	14 411$
13	SFL Partenaire de Desjardins Sécurité Financière	14 410$
14	AON Hewitt	13 825$
15	Groupe Tecnic	13 064$
16	Institut de cardiologie de Montreal	11 880$
17	SAS Canada	11 710$
18	Norbec-Etalex-Boni	11 475$
19	Fenexco – Continuum	11 345$
20	FADOQ – L’énergie grise	11 116$
21	Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés	10 760$
22	Desjardins – Technologies et Services Partagés	10 661$
23	Groupe Permacon	10 655$
24	Bouge! Bouge!	9 415$
25	RBC Dominion valeurs mobilières	9 000$

 

Proceeds from the 1,000-km event

All proceeds from the 1,000-km event are donated to the GO Foundation to support hereditary orphan disease research and projects promoting healthy life habits.

2011 GO Foundation recipients

The GO Foundation is proud to have awarded $645,000 last year in scholarships and grants to projects that promote healthy life habits among young people or research hereditary orphan diseases. Of the 139 projects that applied in the competition, which ended in May 2011, 56 were selected by four independent juries assigned to each of the Foundation’s areas of interest. Here is how the prizes were awarded:

Promotion of healthy life habits

• 30 grants of $5,000 each to elementary schools
• 6 grants of $25,000 each to community organizations or research projects

Hereditary orphan disease research

• 6 scholarships of $7,500 each to master’s students
• 6 scholarships of $10,000 each to doctoral students
• 8 grants of $25,000 each for research projects

Also in 2011, a research project on preventing childhood obesity and the Regroupement québécois des maladies orphelines (RQMO) received a total of $40,000 in support from the GO Foundation.

A Team Achievement. A Unique Experience.

• The 1,000-km event is the perfect opportunity to push yourself to new heights. The event will…
• Pull you out of your comfort zone and bring you to discover untapped inner strength.
• Be an unforgettable adventure, filled with moments of intense effort and euphoria, shared with remarkable people all championing the same cause.
• Strengthen your own commitment to healthy living. The major media attention given to this event is the perfect platform to show that you, your company or your organization believes in what the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie stands for.