Race to fight Alzheimer’s

By Lachlan Ellis

A Moorabool man is getting on his bike once again, taking part in a series of races from now until next June to raise funds for Alzheimer’s research.

Bacchus Marsh’s Peter Bedford raised $31,700 last year for the Australian Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, racing in the two-day Finke Desert Race, which is around 230 kilometres each way.

The support of the community has inspired Mr Bedford to race for the cause once again, with all proceeds donated going directly to the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.

This year, rather than taking part in one race, he’ll be taking part in several, starting with the McNabbs Desert Enduro, and culminating in the Hattah Desert Race in June 2024.

“Last time I did the Finke Desert Race which everyone says is Australia’s hardest, the Hattah Desert Race comes a very close second. I’ve kicked off the campaign already being Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, I’m doing 13 events between now and June to spread the word and raise some funds,” Mr Bedford told the Moorabool News.

“I was absolutely blown away last year [by the support]. I was hoping that at best I might have raised $10,000, but towards the last probably six to eight weeks, it jumped from $15,000 to about $30,000. I was blown away by the generosity in the community, and from businesses that got behind me and the Foundation.”

Mr Bedford was first inspired to take up the fight by his dad Chris, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at the age of 59.

“Obviously I want to raise as much funding as I can for the Foundation, but breaking that thought that Alzheimer’s is an old person’s disease is something I want to shake. Dad was 59 when he was put into full-time care…since then I’ve looked into things, and it’s becoming a lot more common for people to get it in their 50s,” he said.

“People getting it in their 40s is getting common, and even people in their 30s are known to be getting Alzheimer’s. That’s sort of my push, to make everyone a bit more aware that this is something that isn’t going away quickly, and it’s not just something that affects old people. It’s not a natural way to die, it is a disease.”

Alzheimer’s disease affects up to 1 in 10 Australians over 65 years of age, and it has no cure. Dementia, which is primarily caused by Alzheimer’s, is the second leading cause of death in Australia.

For more information on Peter Bedford’s campaign, visit ‘Pete’s Adventure B4 Dementia’ on Facebook.