Scott's Journey: One of Brotherly Love
The motivation for Scott Luikart to compete in The Race Across America (RAAM), one of the most respected and longest-running annual endurance events, comes from wanting to do something memorable with his twin brother, Mark. Mark was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD) in 2008.
Mark will be the crew-chief, leading a team of eight who will provide Scott with critical support during his journey starting on June 17 in Oceanside, California. Over 12 days and 3,021 miles (an average of 252 miles per day), the team of brothers will end their journey in Annapolis, Maryland. Updates on their endeavor can be found at http://scottsbigride.com/Welcome.html.
What Is The Race Across America?
Unlike other famous bicycle races, like the Tour de France, The Race Across America (RAAM) is not a stage race. RAAM is one stage, live to the very end, for 12 days and 3,021 miles. It touches 14 states and climbs more than 100,000 feet. Once the clock starts on the west coast, it doesn't stop until the racer reaches the finish line on the east coast. RAAM is 30% longer than the Tour de France and solo racers finish in half the time with no rest days. Unlike the Tour de France, there is no drafting or taking shelter from the wind. It's an all-out solo challenge. More than half of the racers use RAAM as a platform to raise money for various charities - during the past 4 years, racers have raised more than $1 million.
Jay Alberts' Research: Beyond the Limit
About 200 miles into a weeklong "Pedaling for Parkinson's" awareness ride on a tandem bicycle, Jay Alberts, Ph.D., of Lerner Research Institute's Department of Biomedical Engineering, noticed the Parkinson's symptoms disappearing from the patient who was riding with him.
From this experience, Dr. Alberts asked: Could exercise - specifically "assisted exercise," in which people are pushed to pedal beyond their normal limits - be therapeutic for PD patients? Initial research is telling us "yes."
How You Can Help
Scott is riding in RAAM to raise money for PD research taking place at the Lerner Research Institute. Your donations and sponsorships will directly fund the cutting edge PD research taking place at the LRI and your donations will help to fund those efforts. Help Scott to make a difference for the PD patients of today and tomorrow. You can make a cash donation or become an Official Sponsor of Team Luikart (download the sponsorship information [PDF]).
Total Contributions: $90,304.00
For more information on how you can support Scott's efforts please contact the
Lerner Research Institute Office of Development.
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