About Us
The Original Ride
There is a long tradition of cycling among some first responders from Canada and USA. In 2016 cyclists from both countries rode in an event named the “Capital-to-Capital Mental Health Ride and Campaign”. It was epic. It was arduous and many wanted to do it again.
After extensive planning, a route starting in Ottawa, Ontario to Washington, DC (with a one-day stopover in Boston) was conceived. It took riders and their support crews 14 days to traverse 1,600kms\1,000miles. 84 participants did at least one day and 25 made it all the way. $20,000 was raised for the participating non-profit charities.
It would take another five years for former participants and new ones to come together again for two weeks in 2021. Though due to COVID-19 a new and innovative approach was used.
Skippy
Isaac “Skippy” Greenlaw was a firefighter, dispatcher, and cyclist who died by suicide in 2018. He participated in the National EMS Memorial Bike ride, local rides, and was support staff for the 2016 Capital-to-Capital ride. His death directly affected many of the riders who participated in the 2016 ride. To recognize the support and friendship Skippy was shown by the ride community his mother made this quilt as a gift for Norm Robillard, one of the founders of Paramedic Ride Canada and the Capital-to-Capital Ride.
Read the tribute NEMSMBR ride member Steven Berry wrote for Skippy after his death here.
Read about the memorial bike ride arranged for Skippy in 2018 here.
2021
When 2021 came around the original organizers of the Capital-to-Capital ride decided they wanted to do something to recognize the 5th anniversary of the first ride. Unfortunately, COVID-19 safeguards meant that it wouldn’t be possible to ride across the border that year.
The group brainstormed and decided that the most important aspects of the ride were the camaraderie, getting first responders active, and educating first responders on mental health resources. To that end, we decided to arrange a two-week “movement is medicine” event that occurred during the Canadian Mental Health week of May 3-9 and the American Mental Health Month of May. This was the inaugural First Responders Are Human event with many more still to come.
We pledged to and engaged in some sort of physical activity every day from May 3rd to May 16th. While many people chose cycling, the event was inclusive of all activities and all fitness levels. Activities were tracked, and our goal was that by the 16th of May all participants would have completed an equivalent distance to what we rode in 2016.
Additionally, each day we released information on how to mitigate the stress of being a first responder on our blog and social media.