Team CHeBA proudly promoted positive ageing in the 2014 City 2 Surf with team members in their 60s, 70s and 80s.
58 people challenged themselves to the hilly and scenic course for CHeBA, helping Co-Directors Professors Perminder Sachdev and Henry Brodaty in their quest to educate the community on the risk factors for dementia, and particularly the relationship between cardiovascular health and brain health.
Our youngest runner was just 14 years of age and Mr Graham Gates, her 84 year old grandfather, completed the course for the second time for CHeBA. In his fundraising campaign Graham has raised nearly $3,500 for CHeBA's research into age-related cognitive decline. Another sensational representative of positive ageing in Team CHeBA was Mr Colin Blake from Coogee, who wanted to support CHeBA after attending the Better Brain. Better Life public forum held in May. Mr Blake has participated in the previous 40 City 2 Surf events and won a family category with his two sons in the 1990s. Raising over $1,200 for CHeBA's research, Colin demonstrated his hope for a better future in ageing. 80 year old Derek Nelson from Bronte, who has run every City 2 Surf since the initial event in 1971, inspired some of our younger participants at a training run in Centennial Park by comfortably maintaining a 6 minute/km pace. Derek generously pledged $750 to CHeBA if he completed the course in under 2 hours. Impressively, his final time was 1 hour 50 minutes - 11 minutes faster than his time the previous year. Mr Andrew Tosti, whose mother Maria passed away earlier this year with dementia, demonstrated his committment to research by joining Team CHeBA and making a donation to the Centre in honour of his mother.
Team CHeBA also included many of our CHeBA Champions - the Fitness Ambassadors for the Centre as well as staff from the official Sponsor of the CHeBA Champions, Intellectual Ventures. Our Co-Directors Professors Henry Brodaty and Perminder Sachdev practised what they preach by running the event, as well as Marketing & Communications Officer Heidi Mitchell, CHeBA's Dr Nicola Gates and three generations of the Gates family, Dr Jacqueline Wesson and daughter, and other friends of the Centre and family members.
We sincerely thank and congratulate all of the people who ran, jogged or walked the challenging course for CHeBA, and particularly to everyone for assisting to generate funds for our research. With grant funding highly competitive it is crucial for us to have generous supporters so we can continue to advance our research toward the goal of a better future for brain health, for everyone.
Registration for the 2015 City 2 Surf is already open, and we welcome everyone of all ages to join Team CHeBA to help promote the importance of cardiovascular health for better brain health in late life!
For more information email Heidi Mitchell.
