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Habitat 500 offers ’time away’ for Minneapolis mom
Five hundred-mile bike trip provides physical and emotional benefits for Anne Kersten
| MINNEAPOLIS (June 30, 2008) – Time to oneself…. What wife and mother hasn’t dreamed of time away from the challenges, demands and routines of ordinary life to simply recharge her internal batteries. For Anne Kersten of South Minneapolis, that refreshment came in the form of a 500-mile bike trip that supports a cause she loves.
The desire for time away and to find her physical limits were the impetuses behind Anne’s interest in the 2007 Habitat 500 Bike Ride, an annual seven-day 500-mile bicycle ride that raises funds for Minnesota Habitat for Humanity affiliates. Though Anne had volunteered with her church—Nokomis Heights Lutheran—on several Habitat home builds and she volunteers with Thrivent’s Central Minneapolis Chapter in promoting Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity, she had not heard of the Habitat 500 until January 2007. “The idea of having a whole week to myself was intriguing,” says Anne, a 43-year-old wife and mother of two junior high-aged daughters. “To have the opportunity to get unlimited physical activity, paired with meals, no cleaning and a masseuse when needed, just seemed idyllic.” Anne, who is five-foot one-inch and describes herself as “stocky” and “powerful,” says she has always enjoyed biking, but had never ridden in anything resembling a weeklong tour. Her biking primarily consisted of biking several times each week during the summer from her home near Lake Nokomis to her job as an office manager for The Design Partnership, an architectural firm in downtown Minneapolis, a distance of about six miles one way. Anne knew she and her backside would need more rigorous training to survive a weeklong trip averaging more than 70 miles per day. Anne began training for the trip in March, slowly building her strength and endurance. She geared her training to coincide with the trip’s typically 20- to 25-mile distance between breaks. In the two months leading up to the trip, she would often ride two 10-mile distances each weekday and 40- to 50-mile distances on both Saturday and Sunday. “My goal was to enjoy the ride,” says Anne. “My goal wasn’t to get from Point A to Point B. You’re not going to have fun if you don’t enjoy just riding.” Anne says that the bikers she met during the trip made the trip worthwhile. After riding alone the first day, Anne met a woman who had noticed that they were traveling at about the same pace. After the second day, the duo fell in several other bikers also connected to Thrivent Financial. “We all clicked and had compatible speeds,” Anne laughs. “We gave ourselves the name ‘Team Tubby.’ We enjoyed each others’ company and shared a lot of fun and laughter.” The distances covered each day during the trip varied. The shortest distance covered was about 55 miles; the longest was 104 miles, called the “century ride.” That day, Anne and her group started shortly before 7 a.m. and finished riding at 5:45 p.m. In total, Anne says she spent between 33 and 34 hours on her bike to complete the entire 500 miles. Stress relief wasn’t the only benefit of participating in the ride for Anne. It also improved her health. “There’s a history of high blood pressure in my family,” Anne notes, “but when I went to the doctor for my annual physical last summer, I was down 10 pounds and with my heart rate and blood pressure were better than ever. My doctor told me he didn’t even need to bother checking my cholesterol. That was nice. I’m obviously healthier, and it shows.” And the mental benefits of that week on her bike? “I’m just an average person,” Anne observes. Everyday routines seem to rule your life. The whole ride experience brings a person outside him- or herself. We all need to keep our lives spontaneous and fulfilling. Both my volunteer work with Habitat and the Bike ride helped me to stretch myself. It was a challenge that helped fulfill my own need to keep my life exciting, fresh and focused on serving other people.” Anne, through the generous donations of friends and family, raised $1,400 last year for Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity as a result of her ride participation. She feels great about supporting an organization that is making a true difference in the lives of those in need of decent, affordable housing. Anne’s parting advice to potential Habitat volunteers? “Jump in, feet first,” she says. “Believe in yourself. Believe in the strength of Habitat. It is truly amazing. You really don’t need to have any special talents to be a Habitat volunteer. You just need to show up. They will find the right thing for you to help with.” Note: Anne completed her second Habitat 500 Bike Ride, July 13-19, 2008, after training, fundraising and dreaming about the “time away.” About Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is a Fortune 500 financial services membership organization helping nearly 3 million members achieve their financial goals and give back to their communities. -END- |
| Contact Information: | |
| Dave Rustad, APR Senior Media Relations Specialist dave.rustad@thrivent.com Phone: (612) 844-7037 | |
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