Bike Diva bombing down Card Sound Bridge, on the way to Key Largo. Day 1 of the 2008 S. Florida MS150 ride.

My husband and I, along with approximately 3,300 other cyclists, will be participating in the 2009 Zimmerman MS150 bike ride this weekend. The 2-day ride, which benefits the Multiple Sclerosis Society, starts from the University of Miami in Coral Gables. Riders will travel 75 miles south west, on day one, to John Pennekamp State Park in Key Largo. Riders travel the route in reverse, with a slight variation, on day two, for a total of 150 miles in 2 days.

Race Track Lap
The highlight of day two, is the rest stop at Homestead Miami Speedway. The speedway is the half way point of day two. Riders get to do a lap around the banked race track, before heading to pit row for their official SAG stop. I remember riding the race track last year, I only got part way up before I realized how steep the race track was. Then I pointed my front wheel towards the infield and went screaming back down to earth. Adrenaline rush for sure!

I just checked the Homestead Miami Speedway website. The track has 18 to 20 degree variable banking in the turns. That is really steep, no wonder I was freaking out last year. Let me know if you hear me screaming on Sunday when I do my “victory” lap!

Enjoy the Ride
Although the MS150 is not a race, riders receive a whole packet full of race numbers which much be worn at all times. The large bib number gets attached to the back of our cycling jersey, the small number sticker gets attached to the front of our helmet, the medium number must be attached to our bike frame, one skinny sticker must be attached to each piece of luggage. Riders must also wear a wrist band that must be shown at each SAG stop in order to be able to pick up any food, water, gel packs that we may need. That’s more race numbers than most “real” races I’ve been to require.

Ride start at University of Miami, 2008 south Florida MS150 ride.

Early Wake-up Call
We have to wake up at 4 AM, to leave the house by 4:30, to arrive in Miami by 5:30, find a parking space, get all suited up to ride our bike, drop off our luggage at the luggage truck, then ride our bikes to start line at the Bank United Center of the University of Miami. We hope to have time to grab a bite to eat, and find a few of our friends before loading into the starting shoot. We leave with the very first group at 7 AM, all riders must be in shoot #1 by 6:30. MOOO! I feel a cattle call coming on.

zMotion Team
Last year, my husband and I did the MS150 ride with the 90 member Office Depot team. This year we are part of the 600 member zMotion team. zMotion is sponsored by Zimmerman Advertising, the event sponsor for the Zimmerman MS150. Yes, we are riding with the rock star team this year. It doesn’t matter that, at an average speed of 18-20 MPH for 2 days of riding, we are only part of the zMotion B group, we are still rock stars. The zMotion hammerheads have been known to get up to 30+ MPH on some of their rides. We won’t be riding with that group.

Virtual Ride
I just got an email from the Multiple Sclerosis Society giving riders their final race day instructions on where to park, etc… Included in the email was a link to a Virtual Tour of the MS150 Bike Ride by Blue Dasher Technologies. Pretty nifty. I posted the link to my Facebook profile and asked my friends “if I watch the entire ride online, does that mean I can sleep in this weekend?” HA-HA!

Final Preparation
The MS Society has a 30 page ride guide that is available for download from their website. Since I can get a bit flustered trying to keep track of all my stuff, my husband’s stuff, and my kids stuff, I was happy to see a packing list included on page 24 of the guide.

Here’s a partial list of gear and equipment I will put together for this weekends ride. Items 1 through 13 will be carried with me during the ride. I’ll have my under seat bike bag, bento box on the top of the frame, plus pockets of my cycle jersey to carry all my ride items. Items 14 through 19 are packed in my overnight bag. There will be luggage trucks at the start of the ride, the trucks will travel from the University of Miami to John Pennekamp Park. Riders drop off their bike, at the overnight drop off, then pick up their luggage, before taking the shuttle bus to their hotel.

1. Rider numbers and meal wristband
2. Picture ID
3. Cash &/or credit card
4. Helmet
5. Padded bike shorts and cycling jersey
6. Cycling gloves, socks, shoes
7. Camera
8. Garmin Edge 305 cycle computer
9. Cell phone
10. Sunglasses, sunscreen, lipgloss
11. Spare tubes, CO2 cartridges, tire levers
12. Water bottles, MotorTabs electrolyte tablets
13. Gel packs, sports beans, shot bloks – even though there are plenty of SAG stops along the ride, I like to carry my own fuel just in case
14. Fluid recovery powder – for after ride
15. Action Wipes – for cleaning up after ride before we get to hotel
16. Chamois butt’r
17. Change of clothes for Saturday night
18. Sneakers or sandals
19. Riding clothes for Sunday
20. Soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, etc…
21. Hotel reservation information
22. Bottle of Aleve – might have to bring this with me during the ride

I’d love to hear from anyone else that has done a MS150 ride in their area. Riders can choose between various rides at the MS150:

• 1 day – 50 mile ride
• 1 day – 75 mile ride
• 2 day – 110 mile ride
• 2 day – 150 mile ride

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

ALS 5K Run/Walk & 1K Kids Race

• What: This is the first ALS athletic fundraising event to take place in Southern Utah. ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) is sometimes called “Lou Gehrig’s disease” after the famous baseball player who battled it with such courage.
• When: Saturday, March 28, 2009, 8 AM
• Where: Highland Park, 1250 N Highland Parkway, Washington City, Utah
• Cost: $15 until 3/8/09; $20 after 3/8/09 (t-shirt guaranteed only to those who register by 3/8/09). Only $2 for 1K Kids Race (untimed; every child receives a prize).
• Notes: Geared toward the whole family, the event will include a “cow train ride” for kids and live music. (If anyone has actually seen a cow train ride, please describe it to us!)

American Cancer Society Relay for Life

• What: The American Cancer Society’s signature fundraising event.
• When: Friday, April 17, 2009, 6 PM – Saturday, April 18, 2009, 10 AM
• Where: Southern Utah University Coliseum, 100 South 1150 West, Cedar City, Utah
• Cost: TBA
• Notes: I’ve participated in Relay for Life before, but with a much larger team. I have a lot of work to do to prepare for this event!

Walk MS 2009

• What: Approximately 3-mile walk to raise money to support programs and services for those with multiple sclerosis (MS) as well as research to find a cure.
• When: Saturday, April 25, 2009, time TBA
• Where: West Canyon Park, 400 East 200 South, Cedar City, Utah
• Cost: No entry fee.
• Notes: I’ve walked the Coal Creek Trail, which will serve as the walk route for this event. It’s a beautiful place for a spring charity walk!

Southern Utah Memory Walk

• What: Annual 1-mile walk to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and funds for the Southern Utah Alzheimer’s Association’s programs and services.
• When: Saturday, November 14, 2009; Registration 8 AM, Walk 9 AM
• Where: SunRiver Community Center, 1860 West Horizon View Drive, St. George, Utah
• Cost: $25 suggested donation
• Notes: This will be my ninth straight year participating in the Southern Utah Memory Walk. It holds a special place in my heart.

I’m still waiting for details on whether the American Diabetes Association will hold a walk in Southern Utah and for information about the local HIV/AIDS Task Force’s walk-a-thon. But I feel good about the schedule I’ve developed so far, and I look forward to bringing you firsthand reports on these events. I’d love to hear what others have planned for 2009, so post a comment to this blog and share your events with the community!

Happy New Year, everyone.

Race Start at West Palm Beach Race Series

Take the time to check out local charity athletic events near you. My husband and I have participated in many charity bike rides for national non-profit organizations, such as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), the Multiple Sclerosis Society and the America Diabetes Association. Although we found a local training team to join for these events, many of the bike rides took place out of state. We have two teenagers, so we’ve had to be a bit selective when deciding which events to participate in each year.

Joining a team for a national charity organization usually comes with a high fundraising minimum. We’ve had to raise between $2,100 and $4,800 each, for all of the LLS Team in Training century bike rides we’ve participated in. That’s a lot of money, especially when we are both participating in the event. We had to raise $6,200, back in 2007, when we did the El Tour de Tucson with Team in Training.

Local Charity Athletic Events
Local charity athletic events are a great way to help support local charity organizations, they have a low fundraising minimum and they don’t require traveling out of state. Although every charity organization encourages it’s participants to raise as much money as possible, anyone that pays the entry fee can participate in the event. Entry fees for the local bike rides I’ve participated in range between $35 and $50. I’ve heard from my running and multisport friends, that the entry fees for participating in marathons and triathlons, are much higher than the entry fees for most bike rides.

Rest Stop During Lauren Katzenstein Ride

Local Charity Bike Rides
Here are a few of the local, charity bike rides that my husband and I have participated in over the past few years.

Pedal for PAL – the proceeds raised from this charity bike ride benefit our local Police Athletic League

Lauren Katzenstein Celebration Ride – this bike ride benefits local Mother’s Against Drunk Driving chapters.

Kids in Distress Inlet Challenge – this ride benefits local Kids in Distress chapters.

Frank Stark Celebration Ride – this charity bike ride, which starts just down the street from my house, helps to promote local bicycle advocacy, along with donating funds to the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

South Broward Wheelers Century Ride -this bike ride, now in it’s 24th season, helps purchase bicycles and helmets for local underprivileged children.

West Palm Beach Race Series – the West Palm Beach Race Series is a local time trial race series that my husband and I participated in during 2008. Proceeds from this race series benefit a local Palm Beach Sheriff Explorers program.

Locating Local Charity Athletic Events
To find local charity bike rides near me, I went to Google and typed in Florida charity bike rides. You could do a similar search to find charity athletic events near you. My husband and I are cycling nuts, but you shouldn’t have any problem finding local running and walking events near you, that benefit various charity organizations. Ask your friends and co-workers, you’ll be surprised at how many of them have participated in charity athletic events.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

My husband and I have participated in a number of charity bike rides over the years. For the century rides we have done, we were part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program. For local rides, we usually opt for the metric century ride option, and participate as individuals, without joining any of the teams.

Corporate Athletic Teams
We participated in the south Florida MS150 bike ride for the first time this year.  I am friends with a girl who’s husband is a corporate lawyer for Office Depot. She mentioned that she was doing the ride and that we could join the team if we were interested. I always thought you had to be an employee or married to someone that worked for the company that sponsored the team. But most corporate teams are looking for someone that is enthusiastic about their sport and will help the company reach their fundraising goals for each event.

Stay Motivated
Being on a team, is sure a lot of fun. It also helps you to stay motivated especially if you are always getting calls and emails from your team mates about upcoming training and social events. It’s not half as much fun getting up in the early morning, to go workout by yourself. I am currently training for my first 1/2 marathon on my own. I can’t tell you how many days I planned to run but never do. The only people waiting for me to go run is me, myself and I! It’s a different story if you have team members that are expecting you to be there. I usually volunteer to help lead out the group of bike riders that average 18-21 MPH. That way, I know I have to make it to training.

Jumping Ship
We were going to join the Office Depot team again, to participate in the 2009 MS150 ride. But I have recently met a few riders from the Zmotion team. Zimmerman Advertising is the main sponsor for the MS150 ride, their team is Zmotion. For 2009, Zmotion’s goal is to have 1,000 members on their team. The Office Depot team had 90 riders in 2008, they are hoping to reach 100 for 2009. Zmotion also wines and dines their members; they pay the event registration fee, they buy everyone a team jersey, they reserve hotel rooms, they get you a starting position at the front of the ride and they have various social and training events throughout the season. The list of perks goes on and on. We couldn’t even eat dinner at our hotel at this years MS150 ride, that hotel was the host hotel for Zmotion and they catered a private dinner for team Zmotion. Luckily there was a nice seafood restaurant next door, so we didn’t have to walk very far to go eat.

Jersey Envy
And I have jersey envy. We already have an Office Depot team jersey. If we ride for Zmotion, we will get one of their jersey’s which we can wear all over south Florida at all the rides we do. Zmotion also plans rides throughout the year, they don’t just train and ride in the MS150. They also have a semi-pro team, but I just turned 45 yesterday, so I won’t hold my breath waiting for an invitation to join that team. I also really liked the Bacardi jerseys, but I don’t think I’d ride too well with rum in my water bottle.

I’d like to hear from anyone that has been part of a team for any charity marathons, triathlons, walks or bike rides they have participated in. What’s your favorite team jersey?

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

My husband and I at the ride start, day 1 of the MS150 ride.

MS150 Road Bike Ride
The MS150 is a two day, 150 mile road bike ride that benefits the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. In 2008, 100 MS rides took place across 40 states. My husband and I participated in our first MS150 this past spring. On May 3rd & 4th, 2008 we participated in the MS150 ride that started from Coral Gables, Florida. The Coral Gables MS150 ride was limited to 2,700 riders. On May 5th, I posted the details about the Coral Gables ride on my Bike Diva site: I Rode 150 Miles Over the Weekend.

Various Ride Options
The Coral Gables ride, like all of the MS rides, has multiple ride options. Participants can choose from a one day 50 or 75 mile ride option on Saturday, or they can ride 75 miles on Saturday and 35 miles on Sunday, for a total of 110 miles. The final option is to do the full MS150 ride, ride 75 miles on both Saturday and Sunday, for a total of 150 miles. Actual ride options may vary, visit the MS150 website and enter your zip code, to find out about rides taking place near you.

Join a Team
We were part of the 90 member Office Depot Foundation team. Neither my husband or I work for Office Depot. The husband of one of my biking friends was a corporate lawyer for Office Depot. My friend said anyone could join the team. Riding with a large team seemed like it would be pretty cool, and the fact that we would get cool Office Depot team jersey’s sealed the deal.

The Office Depot Foundation team was only the third largest team participating in the Coral Gables MS150. Team Storm Riders and the Z-Motion Team were larger. The main sponsor of the Coral Gables MS150 is Zimmerman Advertising. Their team Z-Motion had over 300 cyclists participating in the 2008 ride.

Everyone that signs up for the MS150, whether as an individual, or as part of a team, pledges to raise a minimum of $300 for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Registration for the MS150 costs between $20 and $50, the earlier you sign up to do the ride, the cheaper the registration fee. The Office Depot Foundation pays the registration fees for each team member. Once you register for the ride, the Multiple Sclerosis Society gives each participant a website to help them with their fundraising efforts.

Coming down Card Sound bridge, day 1 of the MS150 ride.

Too Many Rest Stops
The MS150 ride was the only road bike ride I’ve participated in that had too many rest stops. Rest stops were located along the course every 4 to 10 miles. Each rest stop was run by a local organization, such as the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts or Fire Department. Each organization tried to outdo the next with a well stocked rest stop. We had to decide which rest stops to stop at, as we only wanted to stop every 20 miles or so. And there was too much food at the rest stops. I like to fill up my water bottle, maybe grab a piece of fruit and/or a pack of Fig Newton’s, then head back on the road.

One of the rest stops was the official lunch stop, there were pasta salad’s, sub sandwiches, potato salad, chips, rolls, desserts. Most bike riders I know can’t ride after eating real food, gives us a stomachache. The ride ended on the first day at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo. There was tons of food available at the park. We feasted on burgers, grilled chicken, salads, cold sodas and popsicles before taking the shuttle bus to our hotel room. It was a very well organized ride.

Well Organized Ride
The ride start for day 2 was back at John Pennekamp Park. My husband and I got up at 5:00 in the morning so we would have time to get ready, check out of our hotel and ride the shuttle bus back to the park. Once we arrived at the park, we checked our luggage back in. There were 2 large UPS 18-wheelers, not your regular UPS delivery trucks, that took the riders luggage back to the University of Miami in Coral Gables. Then we picked our bikes up and headed over to the breakfast tents. Again, too much food. Pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, cereals, oatmeal, fresh fruit, coffee, tea, etc… I had a bit of scrambled eggs and part of a banana, it was just too early to eat. Then we headed to the drink tents to clean out our water bottles and fill them up with cold gatorade.

It was a lot easier riding 75 miles on the first day of the ride. My entire body was still a bit sore and stiff from the first day, so the second day wasn’t as much fun. 75 miles wasn’t the longest I’ve ever ridden in one day, that honor goes to the 109 mile El Tour de Tucson ride we did on November 17th, 2007. But I’ve never done 2 long rides back to back. I would normally take a few days to 1 week off, before getting back on the bike. I’m 44, and my husband is 51, it takes us a bit longer to recover from long, intense bike rides, than it used to.

2009 MS150
A couple of days ago I got an email from the Office Depot Foundation team captain. We can start registering for the 2009 MS150 which takes place on May 2nd & 3rd. His goal is to have over 125 members join the team for 2009. Our team captain used to be an employee for Office Depot. He recently switched jobs, but the Office Depot Foundation thought he did such a great job of being a captain, that they asked him to continue on as captain.

Check out the MS150 website to find out about the MS bike rides in your area, and help raise funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Crossing the finish line, day 2 of the MS150 ride.

Photos of MS150
My Bike Diva site has lots of pictures taken from the 2008 Coral Gables MS150 ride, in case you are curious:
MS150 Pictures
More MS150 Pictures
And Still More Pictures

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

ABOVE: Freelance writer Lynn Smythe. Day 1 of the 2008 MS150 bike ride. On top of Card Sound Bridge, on the way to Key Largo, Florida.

EGOMANIAC OR COUCH POTATO?
Why is there a picture of me at the top of this post? I’m not an egomaniac, just an average person. I’m married, mother of 2, a former couch potato and a soccer mom. I’m 44 years old, and even after losing 20 pounds since the beginning of the year, I am still a bit overweight. So if someone like me can train to do endurance athletic events, while helping to raise money for various charity organizations, anyone can do it!

JUST DO IT
My husband and I participate in various charity bike rides because we can. We aren’t independently wealthy, so we can’t just donate wads of cash to every charity organization we hear about. But we can commit our free time to train for these events, while asking friends, co-workers, family, and even strangers, to make a donation, in our name, to the charity. Most people are totally amazed when we tell them we are training for a 100 mile road bike ride, gosh, do we look that out of shape!?! We are actually training for our 3rd century ride with Team in Training, so we have been doing this for awhile.

We don’t have to go through chemotherapy, or radiation, or worry about passing away at a young age. Do we always want to get up at 5:30 or 6 AM to go for a bike ride, no, but we do it for those that can’t. Each season the Team in Training teams are assigned a local honored hero, someone that is currently battling a blood cancer. Our honored hero, from last years team, recently passed away, he was only 10 years old.

Man, I can never complain again, after hearing what he, and other cancer patients go through. One of the girls on our current cycle team had her thyroid removed a few months ago due to cancer. She is a survivor and signed up to do the Cocoa Beach Century ride, a 100 mile road bike ride, with no previous road biking experience. She is one of the strongest people I know, both physically, and mentally. She might not always be having a good day, but she always maintains a positive attitude.

One of the other members on our current cycle team lost his sister to leukemia in February. His daughter was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer in January and she lost her battle with cancer in June, she was only 14 years old. Anger is what keeps him motivated. He will be participating in his second century ride with Team in Training on October 26th, he is 64 years old, and is one of my heroes.

YOU CAN DO IT!
Training for an endurance athletic event, whether it be a marathon, triathlon or century bike ride, is all about MAINTAINING A POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE. Don’t set yourself up for failure, take all those negative thoughts, and throw them out with the garbage. We had a 63/73 year old couple that was on our cycle team last year. They did the El Tour de Tucson in Arizona – 109 MILES – elevation between 2,500 and 3,500 feet, LOTS of HILLS, on an old STEEL tandem bike. We called their heavy bike the tank. They weren’t the fastest ones out of the gate, but once they got up to speed, watch out, they FLEW by everyone, especially going down hills. They put some of us young riders to shame.

AGE IS JUST A NUMBER
You are never too old, or too overweight, or out of shape to consider signing up for a charity athletic event. Start off slow, look into charity walking events in your area, and work your way up to a 5K. Or if biking is more appealing to you, look into family fun rides. These are short, usually under 20 mile bike rides, which take place along with longer metric century and century bike rides.

BIKERS OR RUNNERS?
In addition to all the cycling events we do, my husband and I have recently signed up to do the Disney Marathon. We are doing the marathon, on January 11th, with the Leukemia Society’s Team in Training program. Before I signed up for the marathon, I hadn’t been running in almost 18 years, while my husband never was a runner. Our birthday’s are in October and November, on the day of the marathon I will be 45 and my husband will be 52 years old. We’re just a couple of kids compared to some of the people we know that are still participating in charity athletic events.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

ABOVE: Members of the Palm Beach Team in Training cycle team waiting for the start of the 25th El Tour de Tucson Century Bike Ride. This 100 mile road bike race took place on November 17th, 2007 in Tucson, Arizona.

RAISE FUNDS FOR YOUR FAVORITE CHARITY
There are various marathons, triathlons, walkathons, bike rides and other athletic events, that you can participate in while helping to raise funds for your favorite charity. Organizations such as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Multiple Sclerosis Society and American Diabetes Association, all host charity athletic events each year, at various locations throughout the United States.

CHARITY BIKE RIDES
My main interest is cycling, so my husband and I are always on the lookout for charity bike rides that we can participate in. Most rides have three route lengths to choose from – a family fun ride, which is usually between 10 and 20 miles, a metric century ride (100K = 62 miles), or a full 100 mile century ride.

LOCAL CHARITY BIKE RIDES
Since we have two children still at home, my husband and I try to look for local charity bike rides to participate in every year. Some of the local rides we participate in include the Frank Stark Celebration Ride, Lauren Katzenstein Celebration Ride and the South Broward Wheelers Century Ride. The funds raised at these local rides, benefit one or more charity organizations.

For example, the funds raised at the Lauren Katzenstein event are donated to Mother’s Against Drunk Driving. The South Broward Wheelers use the funds raised, during their yearly century ride, to purchase new children’s bicycles which are donated to 5 local charity organizations, such as Children’s Home Society.

NATIONAL CHARITY BIKE RIDES
We have also participated in national events such as the MS150, which benefits the Multiple Sclerosis Society, along with many rides with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training program. Next year we already have plans to do our local MS150 in Coral Gables, Florida, and at least one century ride with Team in Training. I just found out that the American Diabetes Association is bringing their Tour de Cure ride down to south Florida in 2009, so we have that ride added to our schedule already.

In future posts to Charity Mile, I will be adding details on each specific charity bike ride that I have participated in, along with lots of photographs taken during each ride. I blogged about the Livestrong Challenge ride last week, which benefits the Lance Armstrong Foundation: Livestrong Challenge Charity Bike Ride.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

- Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

Many of us are drawn to charity athletic events because of personal experiences with a disease or social issue. My story is no different. After watching my own grandmother die of Alzheimer’s disease, I knew that I wanted to raise awareness and funds to help others cope with the difficult challenges my own family faced.

I could have simply given money to Alzheimer’s organizations, but that didn’t seem adequate. Like Walt Whitman said, I wanted not only to give, but also to give myself. That’s why I spent five years serving as Southern Utah Regional Director of the Alzheimer’s Association, where I organized five annual Memory Walks to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s research and services. With a small coalition of dedicated caregivers and community members, we consistently raised more money and increased attendance each successive year.

I learned so much from this experience – and was so inspired by it – that I continued my participation in Memory Walk even after I left my post as Regional Director to forge out on my own as a freelance writer and editor. I’ve also expanded my charity involvement to other health and social issues by participating in regional walks for diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and HIV/AIDS. In each of these venues, I’ve witnessed local triumphs and wide-reaching successes. The beauty of charity walks lies in their global messages constructed through countless personal stories of courageous individuals and their caregivers.

I’m very grateful for this opportunity to contribute to Charity Mile, and I look forward to sharing my thoughts and experiences in regard to organizing successful events and participating in them as an individual, team member, or team captain.

If you’re reading this blog, I know that you agree with Walt Whitman, too. When you give, you give yourself. Tell me, what are you giving yourself too, and what would you like to know about charity walks? Post a comment to this blog, or start a new thread in the forum.

Find out more at: GreatScottishWalk.com

Keegan is walking for MS because his daughter has been diagnosed with the disease in 1997. He admits he didn’t know very much about the disease before learning his daughter had it.

“I’m the ultimate parent,” he said. “I want to help MS research, which will help my daughter.”

Jeanne Keegan-Hoenig, his daughter, appreciates her father’s efforts. “He’s been very supportive. He tries to keep abreast of research and if he learns something new, he always lets me know,” she said. “Day to day, he is always there for me.”

Keegan is considering a 3,000 mile walk across the nation this coming spring. This three-day 105 mile journey is a test of his own endurance for the larger walk ahead.

Source: Newsday.com