On the road for Parkinson’s with Marci
On March 3, I posted about Marci Silverman, who is pedaling her bicycle cross-country to raise money for Parkinson’s research through the Davis Phinney Foundation. Check out Marci’s page at http://www.3100miles.com to make a donation.
As I followed Marci’s posts on Twitter, I wanted to know more. We did a Q and A via email. Here it is.
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AN INTERVIEW WITH MARCI
• Have you always been adventuresome? An avid cyclist?
I actually spent most of my life pretty sedentary. I got into cycling about 13 years ago to do one of the original AIDS Rides, and have since completed a number of organized cycling fundraisers, including three week-long AIDS rides and countless MS rides.
About 6 years ago I became “serious” about my cycling and have ridden as many as 6,000 miles/year (a lot less these past couple of years), including a weeklong trip down the coast of California with little more than a change of clothes and a credit card.
• How did you get the idea to bike across the country for a cause?
Cycling cross-country has long been on my personal “to do” list. The crazy times we’re living in gave me both the opportunity to do the ride and the motivation to do something positive—in a big way.
• Can you say more about your choice to support Parkinson’s research?
I watched firsthand as Parkinson’s slowly wore my grandfather away. My boyfriend, who built my website and is helping with fundraising efforts, is now going through the same thing with his uncles.
Between my experience with the disease and my boyfriend’s experience, it was a pretty easy choice. As I said before, I’ve done a number of charity rides, and while their causes are important to me, Parkinson’s is even more personal.
I think it may actually be worse for my boyfriend, as his uncles were diagnosed at a young age—in their 50s—so he’s seen them trying their best to live with the disease, while things continue to get worse over the years. My boyfriend may not be riding, but I consider him an equal partner in this effort.
• How did you connect with the Davis Phinney Foundation?
I have long admired Davis Phinney for his accomplishments both as a pro cyclist and a humanitarian. So I just called them up and told them what I wanted to do.
I also really like the mission of the association, to help fund innovative research to improve the quality of life of those living with Parkinson’s today, while working to prevent and cure this crippling disease tomorrow.
• What do you expect to gain or learn from this adventure?
I have set some pretty high bars for myself. I’m riding just about every day for the next two months with almost no physical preparation, and I set a pretty high fund-raising goal less than two weeks before starting the ride. I expect to test my limits in more ways than one in the coming weeks.
But I’m also riding with an extraordinary group of women, many who have at least two decades on me (I’m 41), who, while not fund-raising for Parkinson’s, all have their own stories to tell.
A group called WomanTours handles all the logistics and leaves us to ride pretty much carefree. Everything is low-key, but there is a bed and a shower every day. A few days you would prefer a tent, but most lodging is more than adequate.
The cool thing is, they cater to older women making the trip—usually 50-70 years old—and it’s amazing how many “regular” people, with just a little training, try to do this. Some volunteer to SAG, which means they ride only 75% of the time at most, but they follow the route by car the other days. So I expect to learn and grow and be inspired by them and by the people I meet along the way.
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Good luck, Marci, and thank you, thank you, thank you!
Again, to contribute, go to Marci’s page at http://www.3100miles.com.
2 years ago