May 9, 2011
TMG Mortgage Broker Runs 250KM for Breakfast Club of Canada
Can you imagine running a 250km ultra marathon over six days, in the Sahara Desert, while carrying all your supplies?
Mathieu McCaie, a mortgage broker with TMG The Mortgage Group, based in New Brunswick, has done just that. After months of training, this father of two ran 250 km in a six-stage event in the Sahara Desert, under extreme conditions, in part, to raise more than $13,000 for Breakfast Club of Canada.
The Marathon des Sables (MDS) is one of the toughest races in the world. What makes it challenging? “It’s an ultra-marathon where I carried everything I needed over the 6-day race: food, sleeping bag, venom pump, compass, etc., so my backpack weighed about 22 pounds,” McCaie said. “There was also the change in temperature, which varied from 4 degrees at night to around 50 degrees in the daytime.”
“We at TMG The Mortgage Group, are in awe of Mathieu’s achievement,” said Mark Kerzner, president of TMG. “He is a consummate professional, who leads by example - -this was just his next challenge.”
For McCaie, completing the race felt good, but says he’s ready to move on. “I trained for almost two years and missed precious time with my family,” he said. “I had time to reflect while running and realized I wanted to spend more time with my family. Before the race, I spent a lot of time working but I have adjusted my work schedule.”
Would he run the race again? Absolutely not, he said.
McCaie trained between 15-20 hours a week since September, determined to accomplish two major objectives: Finish the race, and do so with no permanent injuries. During this rigorous training, he has also been working, and caring for his two young children and… fundraising for Breakfast Club of Canada!
McCaie has raised over $13,000 for Breakfast Club of Canada.
“TMG The Mortgage Group has been a longtime supporter of the Club, and to have the support of individuals like Matt, who go out of their way to raise funds and awareness is inspiring. We congratulate Matt on this amazing achievement!” says Benjamin Neumer, Senior Business Development Advisor, Western Canada, Breakfast Club of Canada.
“It was a tough race, but not as hard as what some kids are going through,” McCaie said. “This cause has hit me hard, especially now that I have my own kids.”