Muggy weather didn’t stop hundreds of cyclists, runners, and walkers from participating in the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s 29th Annual Becel Heart & Stroke Ride Sunday morning.

20,000 fundraisers and volunteers rode a bike, walked or ran along the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway without traffic “to fundraise for life saving research, health promotion, and advocacy efforts for the Heart and Stroke Foundation,” according to Alex Maheux spokesperson for the Becel Heart & Stroke Ride for Heart.

“The weather didn’t keep people down,” said Maheux.

“It started off a little bit crazy this morning for sure. We weren’t sure where the weather was going to head but it ended up being a really beautiful day and everyone was really happy about how the weather turned out.”

This year was the first time participants also had the option to walk or run for Canada’s largest single-day charity cycling event.

The goal for the fundraiser this year is seven million dollars.

“We’re are almost there,” said Maheux.

“As you can imagine, there are a lot of funds rolling in today and the next two days are really busy fundraising days for us.”

The funds collected go towards preventing heart disease and stroke, saving lives and promoting recovery for survivors.

The DVP was closed between the Lakeshore Blvd. to the 401 and the Gardiner was closed between DVP and the Humber River from 2 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the festivities.

Bikers had the option of riding 25, 50, or 75 kilometres. Walkers and runners were given the option of fundraising for five or 10 kilometres.

On Saturday, the CN Tower was lit up in red to celebrate the fundraiser.

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