Riding around the clock for Wounded Warriors

Warrant Officer Dan Bodden of the Base’s Transition Centre rides his stationary bicycle during a fundraiser for Wounded Warriors Canada in February 2021. WO Bodden and Sergeant Mike Kotuk of CFB Trenton pedalled their bikes for 24 consecutive hours, logging 1,409 kilometres and raising close to $5,000 for mental health treatment and support programs for veterans and currently-serving members. Credit: Wounded Warriors Canada.

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer — Warrant Officer (WO) Dan Bodden will soon embark on an arduous, around-the-clock cycling marathon to nowhere. During a spin-a-thon fundraiser for Wounded Warriors Canada, WO Bodden will be permitted to take bathroom breaks and change his clothing. Everything else he does, including eating, will be done while the wheels of his bike are spinning.

The CFB Esquimalt Search and Rescue Technician will pedal on his smart trainer for 24 hours on April 21, estimating he will cover approximately 500 km. WO Bodden does have a final destination in mind, knowing his efforts will provide needed funding and awareness for the national mental health non-profit.

“I want to continue to demonstrate that sports and all physical activity exercise our minds as well as bodies,” he said. “The other reason I am putting myself out there to people in our community and across the country is because Wounded Warriors Canada is a cause I feel very strongly about.”

WO Bodden currently works remotely with the Directorate of Dive Safety via National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa.

He has set a fundraising target of $5,000. The monies he raises will also serve as his fundraising requirement to participate in Wounded Warriors Canada’s annual 2023 Battlefield Bike Ride (BBR) in Italy. It takes current and former military members to some of Europe’s most famous battle sites, war memorials and cemeteries. This year, on June 11-17, WO Bodden and a team of approximately 50 cyclists will commemorate Canada’s Second World War operations in Italy by exploring some of the famous battle sites on its Adriatic Coast.

His partner Gillian, who will also participate in the BBR, will stay by his side and check in on him.

“It is definitely a huge challenge,” he said. “The mind can get lost in the monstrosity of the task so it’s much easier to think about the ride in smaller, one-hour segments.”

He knows from experience as this isn’t the first time WO Bodden has accomplished a 24-hour cycling marathon. In February 2021, he and Sergeant Mike Kotuk of CFB Trenton completed a similar fundraiser for Wounded Warriors Canada following the postponement of Wounded Warrior Run BC due to precautions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

WO Bodden is also a founding member of Wounded Warrior Run BC and participated in the first three years of the run.

For more information on how to support WO Bodden’s fundraising efforts, visit the Wounded Warriors Canada fundraising page: bit.ly/3KZCq4n.