This August, I’ll be riding in the Leadville 100 MTB race (yes, 100 miles on a mountain bike). I'm turning 40 this year and I'd love to enter this new decade having accomplished one of mountain biking's greatest and most challenging feats. When I first heard about Leadville 20-years ago, I immediately thought, "I could never do that... and how on earth can anyone ride a bike that long!?".
Fast forward to about six years ago, my casual interest in mountain biking become my biggest passion. We moved into a neighborhood in the foothills of Utah's beautiful Wasatch mountains. We recently had our fourth and fifth kids and surviving at home and work was a struggle. My wife insisted I use some of our tax return that year to upgrade my 15 year-old bike. She saw the other husbands in the neighborhood going out for regular morning rides together and thought it'd be good for me. I quickly became hooked with the new bike's modern features and geometry, the social time with neighborhood friends, amazing mountain views, and great cardio workouts. I later started trying endurance mountain bike events. After a few 50 mile races, my confidence grew and I thought, "what if I can actually do what I thought was once impossible?". To me this event is one I will cherish for a lifetime - an event that symbolizes my gratitude for a hobby that helps me be a better employee, community member, husband, and father.
Here's some info on the foundation I am raising money for that will allow me a race entry in 2024. I chose this foundation because my cousin Avery has a daughter that was born with an underdeveloped heart. After many years of procedures and specialized care, her daughter Bella has defied all odds through the first 16 years of her life. The time has come where a heart transplant is the next step in her amazing journey on earth. I want to raise awareness and funds to help Bella and the 104,000 people in the U.S. awaiting their lifesaving transplant.
The charity is called the Chris Klug Foundation (CKF), a nonprofit that educates on the importance of organ, eye, & tissue donation! 17 of these 104,000 people die each day waiting for their turn, for their transplant. And every 9 minutes, someone new is added to that waitlist. Just one person has the ability to save up to 8 lives as an organ donor and improve up to 75 lives through tissue and eye donation. But here’s a stark reality: although 96% of U.S. adults support the idea of organ donation, only 54% are actually registered as organ donors. That isn’t good enough. I’m riding in the hopes of eliminating the wait for a transplant. I know that’s a lofty goal, but if my riding helps just one person from having to wait, I believe it's worth it.
CKF is making huge strides to educate people of all ages, with the goal of registering more individuals as organ donors across the U.S., in the hopes of one day eliminating the wait for transplant nationwide. Please help me raise the very important funds they need to continue their lifesaving mission. The smallest amount helps and 100% of your donation is tax-deductible. Donations can be made via credit card or check.
