A new challenge to raise money for Penticton and area kidney patients has been launched to get people active.

The BLOOD challenge, which stands for Bike Like One On Dialysis, starts Sunday. 

Carey Bornn, executive director of the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation, came up with the idea while watching dialysis patients, some in their geriatric years, spending their time while undergoing their treatment on exercise bikes. 

"Literally a 92-year-old gentleman, and he's cycling the whole time," Bornn said. "I said, 'This is amazing, we've got to challenge people that don't have these issues in life to do as much as these people are.""  

They decided to start working on a triathlon-themed project, challenging South Okanagan residents to get active and raise money for the renal ward, in early 2020. But then COVID-19 struck and put everything on the back burner. 

"But about two weeks ago I said, let's just get this started," Bornn said. 

Participants can walk, run, cycle or swim, they just have to commit to a certain period of active time per week, mirroring those on dialysis. 

"Dialysis patients have no option, they can't just say 'Well I'll just take a week off,'" Bornn explained. 

"We're an active community, we thought why don't we challenge people to stay active for four, six or eight hours or any amount they want to choose, and raise some money in the process."

The challenge starts this Sunday July 5, but anyone can start anytime. The idea is to commit through the end of summer, and participants can register online and try to raise some pledge money, all of which will go to the Penticton Regional Hospital Renal Department. 

"Anybody that hears about at anytime in July can join," Bornn said. "We all have those January 1 commitments to change our lives, so why not have a July 5 to be active in the summer and not take a week off?" 

Dialysis patients have to spend six hours in the hospital for each session. Some choose to use the provided exercise bikes during that time and some don't, but collectively PRH renal patients have cycled the equivalent of the distance across Canada in just a few months. And now, they are tracking the mileage to cycle up to Alaska. 

"They challenge themselves," Bornn said. "It's amazing. I think it's amazing. So I say if they can do that, we need to challenge the community to do the same."

Register for the BLOOD challenge here.