AVENUE CAFÉ & BISTRO – TORONTO . . . 12:00 p.m.

Triple Cheese Pannini with Mixed Greens for me and Greek Salad for Steve.

THE CONVERSATION

Steve Merker is a fun guy.  He talks about the camaraderie of training for sports events, whether they be the Olympic Trials for swimming or the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. He has fond memories of traveling to organize cycling events across North America. He is so passionate about fitness that he could find fun in selling memberships to fitness clubs.

For now, Steve’s fitness “is just about keeping up with [his] kids.”  He says, “The thing about me with racing is I’m all in. Unless I have a chance to train, I can’t go in half assed.”  He can admit that his bike commute from Richmond Hill to Toronto is intense by some people’s standards.

This intensity is not new. From the days of his career as a young swimmer he says, “I was a lead by example guy. I always had the best attendance. I wasn’t as gifted as a lot of kids out there. But I was gifted with the ability to work hard and push myself.”

For a time, Steve’s work ethic led him to take jobs that were not fun. He says, “I though being a strong, driven person will make you successful.” When he found that there was more to it, he took a big pay cut to do something he was passionate about and he is certainly passionate about cycling events.

Steve has always had an interest in “ground floor opportunities. It was this idea that had hints of success and then grew into something really special.” He admits that he thought developing a charitable aspect would make the cycling race series even more successful. This was just one of a number of differences that led to Steve’s decision to move on to a new challenge.

Just when Steve had decided to pursue an MBA, his wife was diagnosed with leukemia. They had only been married for a couple of years. Steve’s voice drops when he talks about receiving what he mistakenly thought was “an instant death sentence.”  His wife did spend six months in Sunnybrook including two weeks in the Intensive Care Unit. He clearly remembers “sleeping in those chairs and trying to go to work.”

Steve explains, “It was a great learning process, education by fire. I became a leukemia specialist.” He also learned that cancer is not a death sentence.

“She benefited from a new drug. Because of that she is here today and it saved her reproductive system so we could have kids. The research going on worldwide is making an impact.”

He explains, “Two in five Canadians will hear the words ‘you have cancer’ in their lifetime. It is the number one killer in the country. You will be touched by it. It’s only one degree of separation.”

Steve “grew up fast in that year” his wife had leukemia.  And cancer continues to play a pivotal role in his life. He is now the Director of Business Development for The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation.

He had been working as Executive Director for the Ontario Cycling Association and says, “I needed to sink my teeth into something more. I think I had five interviews.”  They were looking for someone who was marketing savvy, knew cycling, had experience running events and had been touched by cancer. He laughs, “There are only a handful of us the province. I knew two of them and they were busy.”

The initial goal of the Ride to Conquer Cancer was to have 2100 riders raise 8 million dollars. Steve says, “the left side of my brain said there’s no way. The right side said I want this job.” In its first year, the ride had 2850 riders raise 14 million dollars.

He says, “I had a great network of people that got engaged. It made my job getting bums on bikes easy. It wasn’t a hard sell.” Now the event is selling out earlier and earlier. The 2010 ride is already full.

“Stewardship is a big part of the job now.” Steve’s goal is to add something novel every year.  He says people need to say, “Wow that was great. What are they going to do next year?”

In the competitive world of fundraising, few would have believed that so many people would be so eager to meet the two pronged challenge of the Ride to Conquer Cancer. Not only do participants train for a 200 kilometer bike ride, they fundraise at least $2500 each.  He says, “The focus group said it wouldn’t work. We did it anyways.”

Steve says part of the appeal is “I love giving people an outlet to train for something.” There are tangible fitness benefits for participants.  The fun statistics he collated indicate that as a group last year’s riders lost the equivalent of 32 pairs of 32 inch pants, but it also about the camaraderie of the event.

Steve encourages everyone to use their strengths, whether it is the participants in the Ride to Conquer Cancer, employees or his own children. He knows he “looks for the silver lining in situations. It’s about the journey.”

Whether it is three attempts at Olympic Trials, supporting his wife when she had leukemia or completing a grueling event like the Ironman, Steve says, “Just try your best. I tell people to follow their passion. You’re usually successful if you’re passionate.”

STILL DIGESTING

Steve has been an athlete his entire life.  He studied kinesiology and is passionate about fitness and health.  He is so energetic and outgoing that it is easy to imagine how he motivates riders to train and fundraise.

He is clear reminder that not only is fitness an integral part of being healthy, so is having fun. And there are many ways to enjoy what we do. Not everyone can see the fun in hours swimming laps or miles on the bike, but anyone who has been there knows that the friendships forged through sport are lasting.

A friend I used to train with said something I will never forget.  We were commiserating about the trepidation we sometimes felt approaching a workout we were not sure we could complete.  She said that for her sport was the one place in her adult life where she was asked to try to do something she was not entirely sure she could accomplish.

For that reason, sport will always be a part of her life.  Far from needing to be more comfortable, she needed to make sure she was pushing her comfort zone. It was not just a matter of physical fitness, but of empathy and character.  She needed to approach her life with a sense of possibility, not resignation.

Challenge is fun. Setting and achieving goals is fun. Learning is fun. We forget these things when we approach our lives as obligations rather than opportunities.