Rajala rides 625 miles, raising $3,260.80 in June
DID SOMEONE SAY CHALLENGE? — New Richland resident Laina Rajala rode her bicycle 625 miles in June, raising $3260.80 for the Children’s Cancer Research Fund. (Submitted photo)
By JIM LUTGENS
Publisher
Laina Rajala is never one to back down from anything.
So when she discovered the Great Cycle Challenge, and the way it benefits the Children’s Cancer Research Fund, she was all over it.
It started slowly enough. Rajala rode her bicycle 82 miles and raised $615 in 2015.
This past June, she pedaled 625 miles to raise $3,260.80, bringing her five-year total to 1,430 miles and $7,753.01.
Finding the motivation to do it, according to Rajala, was not difficult.
“Ethan Strenge was my original inspiration when I started participating,” said Rajala. “He and his family have gone through a lot since his cancer journey began (I think 14 years ago!). As a cancer survivor myself, I know it's an ugly disease at any age, but kids should get the opportunity to be kids and not have to fight for their lives. I bike for the kids that can't, and I keep that thought in mind when I'm out there.”
Rajala says there are some staggering statistics that she’d like to see change, that every two minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer and 38 kids die of the disease every week.
Unfortunately, she said, the inspiration doesn’t stop hitting close to home.
The niece of one of Rajala’s friends was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2016 at age 13 and passed away in 2017. And Audrey Wood, the daughter of a coworker and the niece of Mary and LaVoy Ebnet, was diagnosed with brain cancer in January of 2018 and passed away in August of 2018.
“It really sucks that this amazing little girl will be forever 10,” said Rajala.
Rajala feels she owes it to those who donate to give it everything she can. This year, she was asked to be a Champion, which involved recruiting more participants and hosting a group ride. With more than 80,000 riders, the organization raised $6.9 million while logging 4.9 million miles in 2019.
“There are some pretty amazing people out there and they also inspire me to do more,” said Rajala. “For instance, Sudha Murty is a young mom in Texas whose son has had chemo treatments for the last three years. This was her first year of the challenge and she raised $36,000 while biking 629 miles.”
Rajala set a goal to bike every day in June, totaling at least 400 miles a week.
“Since I'm an analytical spreadsheet geek, I have a file to help me stay on track,” she said.
To reach her goal, Rajala biked before and after work — sometimes both — and on the weekends. She also rode to Ring the Bell fitness classes at the high school.
On Tuesday and Thursday mornings there’s the New Richland Area Running and Biking Club, which meets at 5:15 a.m. Rajala and Carol Raimann ride from 8-12 miles, depending on time. Since Rajala works in Mankato, there are plenty of trails to access and she’s even participated in some group rides from Scheel’s. Weekends allow time for longer rides. County roads around New Richland are usually lightly traveled, and Rajala loves the trail to St. Olaf Lake.
“We're fortunate to have the Sakatah Trail not too far away,” she said.
Rajala’s low one-day total for June was 3.5 miles and her longest was a 51-mile round trip to Pemberton via Alma City.
“The wettest was a trip to TB3s in Freeborn with Carol when it started raining….while we were eating our burgers,” said Rajala. We honestly checked the weather before we left and expected to be in the clear.”
Friends, according to Rajala, are what it’s all about.
“Having friends that bike helps a lot!” she said. “It's a lot of fun to make an adventure out of biking someplace for a ‘treat’ — ice cream, meal, adult beverage, etc.”
For example?
“A happy hour bike ride with Carol Raimann and Suzy Routh that stops at Riverview before heading to St. Olaf Lake for an awesome meal at the Red Leaf and then retracing our route back,” she said. “Biking is fun at any pace.”
Sometimes the rewards are just silliness, like racing into town by the digital speed sign to see how fast she can make it go. She said she’s hit 23 mph when the conditions are just right, but it’s usually lower.
One would think that losing weight would be one of the rewards of logging all those bicycle miles. That’s not the case, at least not for Rajala.
“This quote (that online is attributed by Sydney Bassett) sums it up: “My current body type is like you can sorta tell I work out, but you can also tell that I don't say no when someone offers me a cookie.’ I try not to dwell on the fact that the scale doesn't move because there are other advantages. Physically, I'm definitely stronger, and as the summer goes on can bike farther and/or faster on a ride.”
Rajala has also participated in several 5K and 10K runs, half marathons, triathlons and bicycle races.
“I’m a pretty decent swimmer and biker, but am pretty pitiful as a runner,” she said.
Where does Rajala find the energy for all this? She hesitated before answering.
“Well, life is always about trade-offs, so if I'm spending all my spare time biking, then obviously something else is slipping. It certainly helps that the kids are grown so I don't have many parent obligations to take up my time. If you've ever been to our house you'd quickly realize that I use my energy to bike instead of to clean. I don't watch much TV, so that's another trade-off to biking. I actually think I find energy in biking — there's something relaxing to me about it, especially when I can be rewarded with an amazing sunrise or sunset or pretty flowers. I'm a big fan of napping on the weekends.”
Rajala and her husband of 24 years, Xan Johnson, have three children: Sally Sparby, 36; Raece, 23; and Maurya 20.
While Rajala admits she’s rather amazed she biked 625 miles in June (after going 800 in all of 2018), she has no plans of slowing down. She entered in the 50-mile “Tour de Bun” in Montgomery July 27 and is eagerly anticipating the 40-mile Paul’s Bacon Ride on the Paul Bunyan State Trail Aug. 24. There’s also a 70-mile ride from Gilbert to Grand Rapids along the Mesabi Trail Aug. 3.
Rajala doesn’t have a “bucket list,” but she has done a lot the last six years: skydiving, whitewater rafting, scuba diving and taking an Amtrak train trip.
What’s next? Whatever it is, it probably will not be dull.