While we’re on the subject of long distance endurance events done for a cause today, I want to mention one more adventurer who is in the midst of his own active endeavor. Back on March 16th, 25-year old cyclist Cole Starkey set out on a 3000 mile long Ride for Haiti that he hopes will continue to raise awareness of the ongoing relief efforts that are taking place in that country.
Cole is peddling down much of the Atlantic Coast of the U.S., beginning in Glenside, Pennsylvania and continuing on to St. Augustine, Florida. From there, he’ll keep heading west, continuing on into Louisiana, and ending the journey in New Orleans. The route is a combination of AdventureCycling.org‘s Atlantic Coast and Southern Tier Routes.
The ride is expected to take roughly four weeks to complete, and Cole has already been blogging from the road. You can check out all of his entries for his first week on the road by clicking here, but he hasn’t posted any updates for this week just yet. On his daily posts he records the number of miles for the day, and how far he has traveled from the start, along with the good things he experienced (Roses) and the things that worked against him. (Thorns). As of Monday, his 7th day on the road, he had already ridden more than 745 miles.
The intrepid cyclist has a cause that he he is raising funds for as well. All donations are going to the Vermont Haiti Project , which has an 18-year history of service in that country. The organization has always taken a grassroots, volunteer approach to working Haiti, but their efforts are stretched even thinner at the moment considering the widespread effects of the crisis.
Good luck to Cole as well, and thanks to his friend Rebecca for passing this story along to me. Rebecca has a cool blog of her own, which focuses on reminding New Yorkers about all the options they have when it comes to enjoying the outdoors. You can check it out here.
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Ride for Haiti is really amazing. Some riders might ride at a faster speed than others, this is not a race. In my point of view ride at your own ability and join area cyclists it is really helpful to raise funds to benefit the many people suffering in Haiti.
Best Regards,