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Best friends finish 1500 km ride for Alzheimer’s in Winnipeg

Richard Stephens and Paul Harrison arrived at The Forks on Monday after a 10-day, 1,500 km journey. Adrian Cheung/Global News

WINNIPEG – Richard Stephens and Paul Harrison ended their 10-day Ride to Defeat Alzheimer’s on Monday at The Forks after cycling more than 1,500 km.

The lifelong friends, both in their 60’s, left Wichita, Kansas on May 14.

The goal was to raise $10,000 for advanced research and supports for those facing the disease through a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association.

The cause is personal for Harrison, whose 89-year-old father Herb was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2010.

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“He’s not mentally with us anymore. It makes me cry frequently to see what my father is going through,” he said.

“Now he’s just there. He smiles when people walk in the room but he does not who they are,” continued Harrison.

After the pair arrived at The Forks, they got the news that they had raised a little more than the $10,000 they were hoping for.

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“ To do something that hopefully we’ll all benefit from, either our families, or us personally is just a tremendous feeling. It’s not so much about what we done but why we did it,” said Stephens.

“We whined about the cold and the wind and the hills in Nebraska but that’s nothing compared to what my dad and other Alzheimer’s patients are going through,” said Harrison when asked about the long journey.

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