When Thomas Adamietz joined Nicola Institutional Realty Advisors as Manager of Development over a year ago, he didn’t just bring his skills in business, development and architecture; he also brought along his passion for supporting cancer research.
This June marks the third time Thomas is participating in a challenging bike ride in his stepfather’s memory: The Princess Margaret Ride to Conquer Cancer, which takes place over the June 8-9 weekend this year. The largest cycling fundraiser in Canada, the event sees thousands of cyclists bike from Toronto to Niagara over two days to raise funds for The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Following two years of riding with his wife’s workplace team from TD Bank, he is participating as the captain of Nicola Wealth’s inaugural team of riders this year, alongside David Howell from the Business Transformation Team, Gary Orellana from Asset Management, and Spencer Dundas from Advisory Services.
“My stepfather passed away from a long battle with cancer,” Thomas shares. “He was diagnosed when I was in high school, passing away shortly after I graduated from my undergrad…. I've participated in endurance sports most of my life. Participating in an endurance event to support an initiative like cancer research is an easy yes for me.” It’s something he was able to persuade three colleagues to also champion, with lots of support from the Nicola Wealth Gives Back Charitable committee and Nicola Wealth colleagues.
A team effort
“Once I proposed the ride, there were many people who were excited about it and willing to help,” he shares, adding that the Nicola Wealth Gives Back Charity Committee pledged to donate $500 to each of the riders, who must each raise $2,000 to $4,000 to participate in the event, depending on which of the four official routes they choose to take. “What I found out through doing this is that if you want to be a champion of something [at Nicola Wealth], you have plenty of resources available for you to be as successful as you want it to be,” he continues. “I found great support in starting up this team and I hope that it continues to grow over the years.”
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, an estimated two out of five people in Canada are diagnosed with cancer over their lifetime, and one in four die as a result of the disease, Thomas points out that cancer is something that touches virtually everyone. “When one person has cancer, there’s also the group around them—their partner, their extended family—that is impacted,” he observes. “I am doing this to support those who have cancer or may have it in the future, and also recognizing that the people around those who have cancer also need support. Because that's really where I was.”
In sharing his motivations for joining the Ride to Conquer Cancer with the Nicola Wealth team, Thomas says it’s helped foster conversation and connections in the workplace. “Sometimes, we have no idea about what happens outside of the nine to five” he notes. “Participating in something like this, you discover that some people have a similar story to you of a parent or a brother being lost to cancer, or even of being a cancer survivor themselves. It’s a great way to get past some of those walls and understand people a little more.”
Getting to the finish line
To prepare for the big event, the team is following a training program developed by the Ride to Conquer Cancer team. While Thomas admits the distance can seem like a daunting undertaking, he says there’s plenty of encouragement and support along the way to make it manageable—and even fun. “You have stops every 20 to 25 kilometres, and at each of those stops there is food, water, and volunteers. Sometimes there’s music and other distractions to keep everyone hyped up, and you can stay there really as long as you need to refresh yourself and continue on. There’s so many people taking part that there’s always someone in front of, beside, or behind you to give support.”
Crossing the finish line after two days of cycling, he says, is an incredible feeling. “You’re tired, mentally and physically from the journey, but a couple of kilometres from the finish line, there are people with signs making noise, waving flags, supporting everyone coming through,” he shares. “As you cycle down the big hill along Niagara Falls leading to the finish line and you’re with people that have completed the journey, have the same stories as you, or are cancer survivors, and it’s just a wash of emotion. You cross the finish line and you’re re-energized. You sign up for next year’s ride right then and there.”
