People stricken with
MS have a support group called the
MS Society. This society runs fundraisers with the aim of helping out
MS patients. Money goes to
motorized wheel chairs, and other benefits.
One of the
fundraisers that is done is the
MS 150. I participated in one sponsored by the
Allegheny Chapter. I was surprised to find out that these are done elsewhere in
Pennsylvania. I'm not sure if the
MS 150 is put on anywhere else, but it is in
Pennsylvania.
The MS 150 is a
bike trip that covers 150 miles in a weekend. The Allegheny Chapter runs from
Cranberry, PA, to the shores of
Lake Erie at
Caunneaut Lake, OH. The trip is a
fundraiser, not a race, and that makes it more fun. The only
competition is against yourself.
The
MS Society really takes care of the bikers. They have tons of
food,
energy bars, they run cars along the route to pick up people who are having trouble, and they plan out
everything so it goes off without a hitch.
The best thing about the
MS 150 is the feeling at the end. As I biked along the streets of
Caunneaut Lake, there were
MS patients lined up along the road.
These people where cheering for us as we finished up the last of 65 miles on the day, 150 on the weekend. Seeing the people I was helping
face to face took away all the pain and filled me up with
a sense of accomplishment. It is something that I can't really explain.