Summitt Foundation to bring awareness to and help find a cure for Alzheimer’s, even though she knew that she herself would not get the chance to benefit, says Crisp.
Fighting Alzheimer’s one mile at a time One of the bigger challenges for Crisp was that he wasn’t actually a bike rider. In fact, when the idea was being formed, he didn’t even own a bike. But a fast training schedule and enthusiasm got him ready to be part of the team who would ride around 100 miles a day. Starting from the University of Tennessee campus, they were on the bikes between six and eight hours daily. “It doesn’t give your body much time to recover between rides,” says Crisp, who ended up losing a pound a day. “It’s also hard to consume and replace all the calories you’re burning.” It wasn’t always easy to get back on the
bike every morning either, Crisp says. “It’s a demanding physical experience, but there’s also the mental part when your body tells you that you can’t go on. But that’s when your team comes in. Everyone hit a low point at different times of the ride but there was always someone there to support them. Someone telling you that you can do this,” he says.
Another challenge toward the end of the
ride occurred as they were approaching the Florida Keys at the same time as a tropical storm. “It became apparent that the only way we’d be able to finish was if we dou- bled up on the miles the last few days, so we actually finished in 11 days,” says Crisp. Featured on ESPN, in Sports Illustrated and
USA Today, the team raised over $150,000. The money will be donated to The Pat Summitt Foundation, which awards grants to the best nonprofit organizations that are engaged in Alzheimer’s care, support, and
Joshua Crisp and Michelle Brooke-Marciniak.
research, according to the Foundation’s executive director, Patrick Wade. In January 2017, The Pat Summitt Clinic
also opened in Knoxville, created through a partnership between the Foundation and the University of Tennessee Medical Cen- ter, Wade says. “It’s a multidisciplinary clin- ic that delivers patient care, resources, and support for caregivers, as well as conducts Alzheimer’s disease clinical research.”
Looking ahead and getting involved Crisp says when they started he had no idea of the logistics it took to handle an event of this scope and size. Now, he and Brooke-Marciniak have set up a nonprofit organization, Pedal for Alzheimer’s. Its purpose will be to create and host events like Pedal for Pat, helping to raise money for
“I know the huge impact that Alzheimer’s and dementia has on our society and I see that firsthand in our residents,” Crisp says.
groups researching, treating, and educating about dementias. They’ll also be adding shorter rides for
people who can’t take off or ride for 11 days, says Crisp. This year, they’re planning for a couple of day trips where people can ride with them, including on the first day start- ing from Knoxville, and again on day six or seven in the city they’ll then be in. Crisp says they’ve also been contacted by
senior living companies that want to host or sponsor a one-day event in their town. It’s something the nonprofit is interested in do- ing and will possibly start offering in 2019. “I can’t wait for the ride this year,” Crisp
says. “We’ll be announcing the location and details of our 2018 ride soon.” The check raised from the inaugural ride will be pre- sented to The Pat Summitt Foundation at a Lady Vols basketball game on Feb. 1, 2018. “This event grew bigger than I ever imag-
ined or dreamed,” Crisp says. “I’ve been so blessed and now have so many relationships that I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t been a part of this. It was the most physical, emotional, and mentally exhausting thing I’ve ever done. But also the most rewarding.”
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