Myrtle Beach Marathon

You win some. You lose some. Today my glass is not half-full; it is overflowing!

To come in last place of the wheelchair and crank chair marathoners is a BIG win for me. How do you call a last-place finish a win?

It means I had the honor of rolling off the starting line with some world-class athletes.

It means I finished 400th in a field of 1700 able-bodied competitors.

It means I finished.

It means I finished a marathon!

It means I finished a marathon in 3 hours and 51 minutes.

It means I finished a marathon before many of my friends were out of bed.

It means a personal record for me for a marathon and a half-marathon split (1:48).

It’s a lot like living with a disability. You push yourself. You succeed. You fail. You push yourself farther. And ultimately you succeed with the support and encouragement of friends, family, and many total strangers. The first place winner, the person who finished after eight hours, 1700 other marathoners, and I all had one thing in common. We crossed that finish line because thousands of other people were there to support us.

My race is dedicated to the fallen heroes of the Global War on Terror. Help me bring hope to wounded warriors with the knowledge that a grateful America is there to support them on their race to recovery.

Please donate to my fundraising campaign to support wounded warriors, 2008 Miles of Hope. All the money I raise goes to Hope for The Warriors. This phenomenal organization provides Warrior Wishes, Direct Needs Grants, and Spouses’ Scholarships. Now they have embarked on the creation of a Hope and Care Center, a rehabilitation and wellness facility for wounded warriors.

You can easily make a donation to Hope For The Warriors by using my secure credit card donation site:

http://www.active.com/donate/2008Miles

Or donate by check. Download our donation form, fill it out, and send it to me with your donation to my address on the form:

Donation form.pdf

The official results:

http://www.rmssports.com/results/08mb.txt

Chill Factor 17

Did I mention we are serious?


That's ice, not snow, on the salt marsh the morning of one recent chilly ride.



But then to put it in perspective, one wounded warrior told me, "Any day is a good day when no one is shooting at me."

This is America. We can go out and ride on a freezing morning if we want to. Or stay indoors where it is warm.

Only because we have brave men and women who are willing to go stand in harm's way to protect our liberty. And for that I am grateful. And a little cold seems like a minor inconvenience. Join me in my campaign to help America's heroes, our wounded warriors and their families. Donate today.

You can easily make a donation to Hope For The Warriors by using our secure credit card donation site:

http://www.active.com/donate/2008Miles

Or donate by check. Download our donation form, fill it out, and send it to us with your donation to our address on the form:

Donation form.pdf

And learn about where the money goes:

Hope For The Warriors

It's only a minor inconvenience for those who have sacrificed so much.

Looking for a good time?

Here’s our tentative schedule for 2008! Join us.

2/2/08 Norfolk Half Marathon
2/15-16/08 Myrtle Beach 5K/Half/Marathon
3/8/08 Crystal Coast Half Marathon*
3/15-16/08 Shamrock 8K/Half/Marathon
4/6/08 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler
4/12/08 Jacksonville 10K
4/19/08 Dismal Swamp Stomp
5/17/08 Run For The Warriors
7/19/08 Beaufort Road Race**
8/31/08 Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon
9/27/08 Marine Corps Half Marathon
10/11/08 Beirut Memorial 10K
10/18/08 Neuse River Bridge Run
10/26/08 Marine Corps Marathon
11/2/08 City of Oaks Half Marathon
11/9/08 Battleship Half Marathon**
11/9/08 OBX Half Marathon**
12/??/08 Looking for a nice marathon to top off the perfect year!


*Not sure about this event yet. Still under discussion with the event director. The event director doesn’t want handbikes in his events.

**Under consideration.

Please support 2008 Miles of Hope, my fundraising campaign to support our nation’s wounded warriors. These are the events I plan to complete this year. Every mile that I race is dedicated to the men and women of our armed forces who returned as casualties from the Global War On Terror and their families. I take part in these events to raise money for, and awareness of, their needs.

All the money I raise goes to Hope For The Warriors. Please donate generously. Make a donation at http://www.active.com/donate/2008Miles.

Read further in my blog...and "Thanks!" to all our supporters!

-Let's Roll!

Whew!

2007 was an AWESOME year! It started with one goal (Marine Corps Marathon) and ended with a mission (2008 Miles of Hope). After my niece, T, competed the MCM in 2006, she challenged me to do the same in 2007.


Getting in shape became my goal. However, the memory of all those charity runners running for a cause made me want to do more. My initial goal left me with a nagging desire to turn that accomplishment into something to benefit others. Hence, it eventually turned into my mission and here’s the story.

The mission has three goals (and here’s how we’re doing):
• Handbiking 2008 miles (over 900 miles completed since July)
• Marine Corps Marathon 2008 (three half marathons and five 10Ks completed)
• Raising $26.2 thousand to benefit Hope For The Warriors (Over $3400 raised)

Read on for the story.

Tortoise


In January and February my inseparable teammate (she makes it all happen) and I biked Ocracoke Island on my Quickie Cyclone (dubbed “Tortoise”). Those rides instilled the certainty in me that a marathon was going to be a reality for me. It took us seven hours on my first attempt to complete 28-mile trek.



In March I biked the Dismal Swamp Trail with Tortoise. Later that month I got a new handbike, a Top End XLT (dubbed “Hare”). It was back to Ocracoke for a bit of a disappointing shakedown ride. I thought I would fly down the island and back. Twenty mile per hour winds made that dream true only on the return leg.


Hare

On March 31 I took part in my first-ever 10K race, the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society Run-The-Runways benefit at Cherry Point. Not a big race, but fun. Here’s a link to a pic: Windsock photo. I’m the little spec behind the runner with the green long-sleeved shirt and blue shorts.


It felt great to benefit such a worthy cause. I was definitely hooked on these races so went searching for another event. I learned about the Run For The Warriors and Hope For The Warriors. I immediately emailed my wife, “Here’s our cause!” An idea for my mission was beginning to take shape.

Hills and Woes

In the meantime, I began to worry about the Marine Corps Marathon. I was beginning to recognize that hills gave me a big problem. I didn’t take much grade to stall me out. There are some steep hills on the Marine Marathon course. I assumed it would just be a matter of changing the sprockets to get lower gears. In April, we traveled to DC and I got a chance to try out some of the hills first-hand.


A big dose of reality set in. What seems to be the steepest grade on the MCM course is a 13.5% climb up the entrance to the Marine Corps Iwo Jima Memorial, the very end of the race. I couldn’t ascend a hill anything close to that steep! And there was no way to gear my handbike down low enough for me to crank up that hill. An equipment change wouldn’t get me there. The only way I was going to get up that hill was to become a LOT stronger. I had been working quite hard and knew there would be no way I could become that much stronger before the race date in October. It was time to re-strategize.


Learning and Innovating

In April, We rode Ocracoke Island again, which I think is one of my favorite rides. Later in the month, I think I was the first ever handbiker in the Lookout Rotary Spring Road race in Morehead City. That was a fun neighborhood run, but I sure got a lot of strange stares.


With warmer weather setting in, overheating was becoming a problem. I don’t sweat and the upper body exertion causes me to generate a lot of body heat, particularly on long rides and sunny days. We fitted my helmet with tubes that would allow me to dispense water onto the top of my head. That gadget did a lot for my endurance but for hot days, I needed even more cooling.

A neighbor, BG, suggested towels soaked in icewater wrapped around my neck. That inspired an idea of supplex tubes that we filled with ice cubes and tied around my neck. That seemed to do the trick on even fairly warm days. One Saturday in May we set off on a rather long ride on the back roads of Camp Lejeune. Since we were going to be away from civilization for quite a while, we packed several ice-filled tubes in a couple of coolers and added some dry ice to keep them frozen. The idea worked well enough to keep me cool most of the day


On that trip I learned that the hazards with handbiking aren’t always what you would expect. My first lesson came when I zipped past a copperhead as I’m sitting 10 inches off the ground. My second lesson came later in the day when some rain clouds moved in. I could see a rain shower moving from left to right a mile or so in front of us. So we stopped to let it pass before we went further. We pulled off the road and waited at the edge of a grove of small trees. After the rain passed by we got back on the road and finished our ride. We decided that where we stopped was not a good idea because of the danger of lightening—not because of the trees, but because we had stopped right in front of an explosives storage facility.

Yes, This Will Be My Cause!


Later in May I had the privilege of taking part in the Run For The Warriors, a race to benefit wounded warriors, conducted by Hope For The Warriors. I can truly say I’ve never had so much fun doing anything I felt so good about. Hundreds of Marines ran in formation. But for me, it was just an honor to take part in the 10K alongside wounded warriors on handbikes. Read the article in the Globe (page 1) (page 2).

May also afforded us an opportunity to do the Dismal Swamp Trail again, this time on Hare. I still had to make a decision about the Marine Corps Marathon. Would I be ready for that hill by October? I do not want to complete 26 miles of that race only to be overcome by an insurmountable hill two tenths of a mile from the finish line. Registration for the race was closed. I could still register as part of Hope For The Warriors’ charity team if I raised money for them. That was exactly what I wanted to do, but my experience in April told me I wouldn’t be able to complete the race. Sadly, I made a decision that I would wait until 2008 to take part in the MCM and I would find another way to support Hope For The Warriors.

Getting Serious With Hills


I began training in Atlantic Beach every chance I got because the streets there are essentially paved over sand dunes, hence it is one of the hilliest spots in the county. I found a hill on East Atlantic Boulevard that made a great spot to work on my strength training. We also found another hill that had the same grade as the hill at the Iwo Jima memorial on the MCM course. That would be my test hill. I nicknamed it Mount Suribachi. After a few weeks of working out on the hills, I tackled the Atlantic Beach Bridge at the end of June. As result of subsequent workouts on the bridge, repetitions up the hills at the Beach, and long rides close to home, I noticed I was becoming considerably stronger.

My Mission

My cause had pretty much come together in my mind by July. On July 13, I took it to the Internet. I stood up this blog and set up a fundraising campaign to benefit Hope For The Warriors. I called the campaign and the blog, “2008 Miles of Hope.” The goal became a mission. The idea was threefold:

1. To handbike 2008 miles in training, races, and fundraising events to raise money for and awareness of our nation’s wounded warriors.

2. To raise $26.2 thousand for Hope For The Warriors to benefit wounded warriors through their programs. Why that number? One thousand dollars for every mile of the third goal.

3. To complete the Marine Corps Marathon in October 2008.

That ought to keep us busy! The only problem was that now it was becoming the hottest time of the year. Strenuous workouts and long rides were becoming difficult. Labor Day weekend and the Virginia Beach Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon were rapidly approaching.

Fall Races


Amazingly the weather turned perfect the night before the race. My niece and I completed the race together. Other runners shouted, “You rock!” I’d call back, “No, you rock! I roll!” My first half marathon was a blast. Enjoy the video: Rock n Roll Half Marathon video


My next event was the Marine Corps Half Marathon in Camp Lejeune in September. The training on hills and the long rides were beginning to pay off. I finished the 13.1 miles in just under two hours, a time that I was quite proud of.

In October, I finished two 10K races. The first was the Beirut Memorial 10K. I had a tough time with that one. Equipment problems slowed me down and made it my toughest race. The second October event was the Neuse River Bridge Run. Another great event. That race is a great way to enjoy spectacular views of the Neuse River. Read the Sun Journal article.

The Hill Workouts Pay Off

One day, late in October, I was working out on my practice hill at Atlantic Beach on East Atlantic Boulevard. I started rocking back and forth on a steep section by pulling on the cranks a short stroke to roll forward and rolling back the stopping the reverse motion by yanking on the cranks again. I noticed that on each stroke I was ratcheting forward a few inches. By using this technique, I was able to climb through the steep part of the hill with relatively little effort. Not very fast, mind you, but successfully. I got my teammate and we rode over to Mount Suribachi, my test hill that has the same grade as the steepest hill of the Marine Corps Marathon. It was not very pretty, but I inched my way all the way up that hill.

Now, that was a bittersweet moment. That was the breakthrough I needed all along to complete my dream, the Marine Corps Marathon. But by now, with the race a few days away, it was too late since I wasn’t registered. But now I know that nothing will stop me.

Team Wounded Warrior

The great folks at Hope For The Warriors asked my teammate and I to go to the Marine Corps Marathon with them. They fielded a team of over a hundred runners called Team Wounded Warrior, which included five members of the Marine Wounded Warrior Battalion East. The team collectively raised close to $150,000 in donations. H4TW needed help manning their booth at the expo and they need folks who knew how to navigate the DC Metro to get out on the course to cheer the team. It was an honor to help out.


The day of the race we went out to a stretch of East Potomac Park called Hayes Point. It seems to be universally agreed by runners to be the loneliest stretch of the course. Along with my niece T, we yelled ourselves hoarse and handed out Snickers. All in all it was a great experience, but not as great as October 2008, when T and I will be out there on the course.


Kicking Off the Fundraising

We really had not conducted any serious fundraising efforts yet. All of our contributions so far had pretty much fallen into our laps. This cause is amazing in that folks are overwhelming in their compassion and willingness to support once they learn of it. In November we went to Fayetteville for a Beta Sigma Phi area luncheon. Beta Sigma Phi is an international women’s service organization in which my teammate is a member. There we shared a table with the Pi Master Chapter from Havelock. With the help of those amazing women we raised $473 in one morning.


The Only Handbike in Town (Again)

The next day I took part in the City of Oaks Half Marathon in Raleigh. That was one bugger of a course. I don’t remember a flat spot on the course. On a handbike, you’d like to go as fast downhill as possible in order to carry that energy as far up the next hill as you can go. Nothing doing on this course. Runners were too dense to go very fast downhill so I had to work for every uphill. Pics from WRAL (Slide 15) and News and Observer (Slide 5).

My grandson thought my handbike was pretty cool:


In December, Camp Lejeune’s Marine Corps Community Services’ Semper Fit Division awarded me their first place in the handbike division for their 2007 Grand Prix series of races. That was a very nice way to cap off a year of handbiking adventures. Thanks, Mike Marion!


With cooler weather setting in, we turned our activities to fundraising. So far, we’ve received over $3400 in donations. Everyone’s support and compassion is simply inspiring.

2008 Promises to be Even Better

Check back soon for our plans for 2008. Help get the word out. Help us help heroes. All the money we raise goes to Hope For The Warriors. We pay all our travel and registration fees out-of-pocket. It’s an honor for us to support our nation’s wounded warriors with our efforts. And it has enriched our lives immeasurably.

Learn more about Hope For The Warriors and their great programs to help our nation's wounded warrriors and their families.

Check out our donations page. It’s easy to make a secure online donation using your credit card: 2008 Miles of Hope.

Nuese River Bridge Run - a message to the event director

GB,

THANKS! First of all it was great to meet you. Secondly, I could tell that a lot of hard work by a lot of people made this event the success and enjoyment it was. I wish I could thank them all, but I don't know who they all are.

I always contact the race director before entering a running event because it's their decision to let handbikes participate. In other words, it's a privilege to take part in your event. I don't forget that and I thank you for that privilege. I'm looking forward to doing this again next year.

Since beginning handbiking seriously about a year ago, folks like you have endowed me with so many such privileges, but chiefly, the chance to meet and be inspired by some of the greatest people in the world, these local runners. Each has a story, each is a hero, and all inspire me. Again, I thank you for the opportunity to meet new friends and be inspired by so may wonderful folks.

This event was special for me for several reasons. First it was a 10K PR for me. But mainly, by sheer coincidence, it allowed me to re-connect with a high school friend whom I haven't seen in 33 years. The friend had been through a similar disability as mine with a quite different outcome. We immediately connected on a number of levels, but chiefly, our enthusiastic outlook on life. We're already planning training and future events.

As for me and my story; your event (and next year's event) is part of a 2008 mile journey that I call 2008 Miles of Hope. I'm handbiking over 2008 miles to conclude with the Marine Marathon in 2008. The ride is dedicated to and is raising money for wounded warriors through the great organization Hope For The Warriors. More about my cause and about me can be learned by reading through this blog.

In this life I take nothing for granted. A year ago I would have never dreamed I'd have crossed that bridge. For the rest of my life I'll know I did.

Those things I cannot achieve
Are only those things I cannot dream.

-Let's Roll

SUN JOURNAL article

Get me to the Race On Time!

COUNTDOWN-The Marine Corps Half Marathon

09.28.2007, 10:00 AM – It’s going to be a busy day. 4:00 AM is going to be here WAY too soon. Tomorrow I’m lucky enough to participate in the Marine Corps Half Marathon at Camp Lejeune, NC. I pick up my race packet today so tomorrow morning won’t be quite so hectic before the race. A few errands to run first. I just finished a blog post. Oh darn, I’m going to be late for my appointment with Hope for the Warriors at Camp Lejeune.

11:00 AM – How many times can a cell phone ring in an hour’s commute?

11:30 AM – Met with Robin at Home For Warriors Headquarters. Those folks are awesome.

1:00 PM – Just reconnoitered the race route in my van. Don’t want any surprises. Right now it’s blistering hot. Didn’t anyone tell the weatherman that it is almost October? I saw Dan on his handbike going around the course. Man, he looks hot. Now I AM starting to worry. I’ve been looking forward to this race for six months. I hope it cools down or I will be toast.

2:00 PM – Picked up my race packet and met with Mike, the race director. A great guy. Sorry, Mike if I have so many questions, but this is only my second half marathon.

3:00 PM – A quick haircut

3:30 PM – Later than I thought. I won’t have time for that big plate of pasta for lunch I was looking forward to. Maybe we can cook up some spaghetti when I get home. I called my teammate, no answer.

4:00 PM – It has been a long day and I’m starting to get tired. Sure wish I had more than six hours sleep last night and the night before and the night before….yawn… I pull into McDonald’s, park in back, close my eyes, and take a nap.

4:09 PM -- The noise of a big truck wakes me up, maybe I better move on. OH NO! The van won’t start and I can smell smoke. Who am I going to find to fix this van this late on a Friday afternoon? I get on the cell phone and start calling every auto mechanic I know. Neil even calls another mechanic on my behalf and offers to come and get me in his mini van, thanks. It’s starting to look like Saturday is going to be spent replacing an alternator rather than half-marathoning. Am I ever bummed!

4:30 PM – Merchant’s Tire in Havelock says they will wait for me. I make arrangements for a tow truck.

5:15 PM – Finally get up with my teammate and ask her to meet me at McDonald’s and now it is just a waiting game. I am hoping my troubles are due to the alternator even though we just had a rebuilt one put in a few months ago.

6:00 PM – Teammate arrives. I grab a quick bite at McD’s. I was sure looking forward to pasta. The wrecker shows up. Off we go to the tire store.

7:00 PM – We roll into Merchant’s Tire. The wrecker arrives right behind us. This is their normal quitting time. They really want to go home; PLEASE – PLEASE - PLEASE. Did I mention that I had been looking forward to this race for six months? They agree to change the alternator. Yeah! My teammate and I take off for the parts store while the mechanic starts removing the bad alternator.

7:20 PM – We’re back with the new alternator. The old one is out. It’s starting to look like we might pull this off after all!

9:00 PM – We’re back on the road again. THANKS Brian and Miguel!!! You’ll never know how much this means to me!

9:30 PM – Back home. So much to do to get ready. Darn it’s late! How many times have I said that already today? Let’s get started.

11:00 PM – Finally in bed!

10.29.2007, 12:00 AM – Will I ever go to sleep?

2:00 AM – I can’t sleep! I keep thinking about this race.

3:00 AM – Zzzzzzzz

4:00 AM – Zzzzzzzz

4:20 AM – The alarm rings. Oh darn! I wanted to get up at 4:00.

5:00 AM – 60 degrees outside. The forecast is for cool weather. Yeah! I stuff down a smoothie, a banana, milk, & coffee.

5:30 AM – On the road. This is the first chance to go over the course with my teammate. She’s going to ride the bike paths on her bicycle to meet me at miles 4, 8, & 12.

6:30 AM –We ride the course my teammate will take so she knows where to meet me.

7:00 AM – It’s getting late (again). We get to the race start. Let’s get the handbike on the ground and get ready.

7:30 AM – Typical pre-race confusion. I wolf down a Snickers bar.

7:45 AM – They’re calling runners to the starting line. Where are my sunglasses? There’s Dan and Cory. Wow! There will be three hand bikers today.

8:00 AM – Let’s Roll! We’re off! Man! This came so close to NOT happening! There goes Cory and Dan…I’ll not see them again until the finish. Oh well…like I always say, “I’m not a racer, I’m a participant.” The weather is PERFECT! And wow, I’ve even got a little energy. I’m gonna yank those cranks! All those runners that passed me off the starting line…I’m slowly passing them! No way will this last. But I’m having fun while it does! Marines yell in encouragement. Marines are undoubtedly the greatest people in the world.

8:30 AM – A few hills have had their toll and I’m starting to settle into a manageable pace. The fast guys and gals are all gone and I’m blending in with a group that I’m starting to become familiar with. We even get a few conversations started. Even a little friendly banter. I take a ribbing about the hills.

9:00 AM – Hey, that 10K split went by rather quickly (for me). Maybe this is going to be good. I stop beside my teammate and throw down a PowerAde. I’m off.

9:30 AM – My teammate is hanging nearby on the bike trails. That is a tremendous boost. I’m coming up to a water table. I ask the Marine to throw water on me. Man that feels good. Headwinds and hills are starting to slow me down. My teammate cuts off for our rendezvous at mile 12. Marines yell, “Ooh rah” as the headwind slows me down.

9:45 AM – Should have drunk another PowerAde. I’m fading. The pasta dinner would have been nice. Maybe even some sleep. That wind feels nice but it’s slowing me down to a crawl. Shift down. Grind.

9.50 AM – There’s some crowds. I must be nearing the finish. I look at the time. HOLY COW! Do you think there’s any chance I can beat 2 hours? Shift down. YANK! I hear my teammate’s voice, “Go!”

9:57:17 AM – I cross the line. YEE HA! Whooda thunk! There’s Dan and Cory. What a GREAT day!

Life has taught me that: 1) Things are never hopeless, no matter how bad they seem. Jimmy V. put it aptly, “Don’t give up; don’t EVER give up.” 2) There are still saints out there in spite of what you see on the news. So just when my plight seemed helpless, the folks at Merchant’s Tire put forth a little “can-do” and enabled me and my teammate to pull it all together.

Our Nation’s wounded warriors haven’t given up hope. They’ve sacrificed their limbs and flesh to protect your liberty and mine. As they begin their adjustment to new lives with disabilities they continue to display dedication and resolve that awes me.

My campaign, 2008 Miles Of Hope, is dedicated to the wounded warriors. With the help of my beloved teammate, my wife, and with a yellow hand bike, I plan to: 1) ride over 2008 miles before October, 2008 in training and events like this, 2) raise $26.2 thousand for Hope For The Warriors, and 3) complete the Marine Corps Marathon in October, 2008.

Be a saint. Help a hero. And help me along my campaign. Please make a generous tax-deductible donation to Hope For The Warriors. You can use the link below to make a secure credit card donation:

http://www.active.com/donate/2008Miles

If you would prefer to send a check instead, please print the form at the link below. Make your check payable to Hope For The Warriors. Mail your donation to the address on the form.

Donation Form

Thanks and check back often.
-Let’s Roll

Time to be Proud, Time to be Humble

Today, I finished the Marine Corps Half Marathon at Camp Lejeune in 1:57:17, a feat I am quite proud of. A year ago, such an accomplishment was beyond my dreams. Even after considerable training, just to cross the finish line is an accomplishment that makes me proud. To add the privilege of finishing this event beside some of this Nation’s most revered warriors was truly awesome. But to be honored by running beside some of those who have sacrificed their blood and limbs for your and my freedom is a inspiration that cannot be described in words.




We welcome tax-deductible gifts to Hope for the Warriors that are in turn used for their many wounded warrior projects. Please visit my donations page:

2008 Miles of Hope

Learn more about ways to help wounded warriors:

Hope for the Warriors

Those things I cannot achieve
are only those things I cannot dream.

Let's Roll

You Rock, I Roll!

Ah yes! Nothing could be finer than getting up at 4:00 in the morning, grabbing a Snickers bar for breakfast, enjoying live rock and roll music, seeing 13.1 miles of scenic Virginia Beach waterfront, and spending some quality time with 17000 other runners at the Rock ‘N’ Roll Half Marathon!
Except the quality time with family and friends!

AND doing it for an AWESOME cause:
2008 Miles of Hope

About 2008 Miles of Hope

Three things are coalescing in my life at this point in time. It seemed natural to tie them together into a single personal initiative that I call 2008 Miles of Hope. I hope that you will enjoy following my progress as much as I will enjoy the journey. So what is 2008 Miles of Hope all about? Again, three things.

1. 2008 will be the 30th anniversary of the accident that left me a C6 quadriplegic. What can I say? At fifty-something, call it a mid-life crisis, or what ever you want. It’s time to quit neglecting physical activity and to get more physically fit. I enjoy life. But to enjoy life more, I want to be stronger and healthier.

2. I’ve always wanted to complete a marathon. Long before my disability, I admired these long distance athletes. I always loved the outdoors. In my youth, I enjoyed swimming, waterskiing, sailing, hiking, scuba diving, canoeing, camping, hunting, and fishing. Running was never an enduring passion, but the thought of a long distance feat such as a marathon was always alluring. My disability seemed to end hope of such an accomplishment.

When T- did her first marathon, I got to watch. I saw handcyclists tackling the hills of Arlington in the Marine Corps Marathon. I said, “I think I could do that.” That (not well-thought out) idea turned into a challenge from T-. So I got a handbike and started training and have since been having the time of my life. When I entered my first 10K, a benefit for the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, I was solidly hooked. I was going to start having a lot of fun fulfilling T-’s challenge!

But ever since her challenge, the images in my mind of the thousands who were running for various charities kept evoking a question in my mind: “how can I make this into not just an event…but a cause.” Which segues well into my third endeavor.

3. I have a deep gratitude towards our Nation’s service members and their families for their dedication and sacrifices while fighting the Global War on Terror. In particular, because of my disability, I am sensitive to the challenges facing thousands of brave men and women who have been wounded while protecting our liberties. I call myself a grateful beneficiary of their sacrifices. I’ve resolved to help.

Earlier this year, while looking for a running event, I found Hope for the Warriors™. I learned about all the great things this grassroots group does, such as was featured on this NBC news feature: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18043133/ . I immediately emailed my wife and said, “THIS is our cause!”

The mission of Hope for the Warriors™ is to enhance quality of life for US Service Members and their families nationwide who have been adversely affected by injuries or death in the line of duty. Hope for the Warriors™ actively seeks to ensure that the sacrifices of wounded and fallen warriors and their families are never forgotten nor their needs unmet, particularly with regard to the short and long-term care of the severely injured. Hope For The Warriors™ is a civilian organization, with 501(c)(3) non-profit status, is not a government agency and is solely supported by the generosity of individuals, corporations, and foundations in support and appreciation of those who have sacrificed in the name of freedom. Federal Tax Id#20-5182295.

I joined Team Wounded Warrior to support this great organization. My goal: to handbike over 2008 miles between now and October 2008 when I plan to complete the Marine Corps Marathon. In the meantime, I plan to take part in various running events to raise $26.2 thousand dollars for Hope for the Warriors™. So, it all comes together with what I call 2008 Miles of Hope

Visit Hope For The Warriors™ at http://www.hopeforthewarriors.org.

Help our wounded warriors on their road to recovery by supporting 2008 Miles of Hope. Give generously. You can donate easily by using my donations page at
www.active.com/donate/2008Miles

2008 Miles of Hope

Let’s Roll, America. First of all (everybody asks): I’m NOT a warrior. I am a grateful beneficiary of the sacrifices and dedication of thousands of brave men and women who have answered the call to duty during our nation’s times of need.



I am a citizen of the greatest nation on earth. I enjoy liberties that citizens of other countries can only dream of. Americans take more freedom for granted than most people on this earth will ever enjoy. However, that freedom comes with a price. In this country, that price has been paid again and again with the blood of heroes and the sacrifices of their families.

Remember their sacrifices. Please help these brave men and women on their road to recovery and rehabilitation. It is my goal to raise at least $26.2 thousand for Hope for the Warriors™, a civilian organization, with 501(c)(3) non-profit status, whose mission is to enhance quality of life for US Service Members and their families nationwide who have been adversely affected by injuries or death in the line of duty. Hope for the Warriors™ actively seeks to ensure that the sacrifices of wounded and fallen warriors and their families are never forgotten nor their needs unmet, particularly with regard to the short and long-term care of the severely injured. To learn more about this great organization, please visit their website at http://www.hopeforthewarriors.org.



With the support of my beloved teammate, my wife, I plan to handbike over 2008 miles between now and October 2008 to raise money to support projects undertaken by Hope for the Warriors™. I plan to do this in a combination of training, running events, and fundraising rides, culminating with the 2008 Marine Corps Marathon. I will be participating in various 10Ks, half-marathons, and hopefully some marathons over flatter terrain as I build my own strength and endurance to train for the 2008 Marine Corps Marathon.

As an American with a disability, I understand the challenges that face these brave men, women, and their families. I also find their personal stories of triumph over adversity to be my motivation. There is no better place in the world to have to live with a disability than the United States. We are blessed with technology, opportunities, and compassion that are available nowhere else.

Please help America’s heroes with your tax-deductible contribution to this great organization. Give generously. Our nation’s warriors have given selflessly for you. Help those who have fallen in their time of need. You can easily donate by using the website below:


www.active.com/donate/2008Miles