Pelotonia '10

I had the chance to do something very special today! I was able to raise (with a lot of help from my coworkers) $1000 to ride 23 miles in an effort to fundraise to find a cure for cancer!  It was a part of Pelotonia '10

This whole week has been special! My teammates from Michigan came down to Columbus to join me on Thursday. We were able to be a part of my employers kick off downtown on the steps of the statehouse! Afterwards, My teammates and I got a tour of the headquarters, by no-one less than our CEO! He gave us a tour for about 30 minutes then gave us tickets to Huntington Park to enjoy a Baseball game that evening! Wow! What great seats we had! Here is a view of my legs propped up on top of the dugout along the 3rd base line!

The next day we were able to register for the ride and were able to see The Counting Crows in concert. Additionally, we got to hear Chris Speilman speak. What an emotional night that was!

This morning at 5AM we left to go ride. Free breakfast, followed by a 7:30AM start time for my group of riders! None other than Archie Griffin started his ride next to me! Wow!

It was a beautiful morning for the ride and so well coordinated! There was a rest stop at 15 miles, and it was a good thing because I was completely out of water! I ran into one of my best friends from work and finished the last 8 miles with her! When we finished we both realized we could have rode longer, but were so very impressed with how well we did! Here is my route:


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Or feel free to "Fly By" my route!



If you ever have the opportunity to be a part of something like this, please do so. It is so worth it and so much fun!

Additionally, I was able to compile a list of survivors and those that lost their battle with cancer to ride for and give me inspiration.  My goal was to honor at least one person for every mile I was riding.  I ended up with 25 names.  Well, since I made it, it seems appropriate to give a shout out to all of the folks I rode for today. 

Here are the names!
Ryan Salmons
Trey Martens
Jane Lykins
Ruth Lykins
Geneva Lykins
Bessie Scott
Gretchen Grafflin
Nana Grafflin
Violet Baier
Gary Falter
Linda Falter
Ellen Guy
Bob Monroe
Tom Starrett
Karen Wells
Charlie Tufts
Mira Tanagho
Jim Edwards
Jeanne Doyle
Yvonne Wallace
Mike Smith
Aunt Margie
Uncle Bud
Kathy Varney
Becky Feyh

To all of you above and anyone else out there fighting or could not fight anymore!  This one was for you!