Frequently Asked Questions About The Ride
Why are you doing this?
I’m not really sure what made me join the 4k last time. I saw a poster for the 4k and at first I thought that it sounded crazy. But a little voice inside of me kept saying “Why not?” My family has lost some very close loved ones to cancer so fighting cancer is a cause that is quite close to my heart. The idea of doing something big to fight cancer called to me. I can quite honestly say that I would never have signed up to bike across the country without the cancer-fighting aspect of the ride.
What organizations does the 4k raise money for?
The 4k raises money for several different organizations. Two of our biggest recipients are the Hope Lodge and the Ullman Foundation. The Hope Lodge provides lodging for cancer patients receiving out-patient treatments at hospitals that are far from their homes. The 4k regularly volunteers at the one in Baltimore, which is a truly fantastic place. Many cancer patients come from hours away to receive treatments at Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland. Staying in hotels is costly, especially at a time when medical bills and loss of work can make finances especially tight for cancer patients. Commuting several hours each way multiple times per week is exhausting. The Hope Lodge provides a place where cancer patients can stay and a welcoming community for caregivers and patients during a very difficult time.
How does biking across the country fight cancer?
The mission of the 4k for Cancer is threefold: to spread awareness, raise funds, and foster hope. During our ride, we will go into many under-served communities and spread awareness about cancer prevention. Secondly, our ride will raise hundreds of thousands of dollars this year that will go towards many fantastic organizations. Finally, volunteering is an important part of the ride. Throughout the ride we will volunteer at many different places, including Hope Lodges. (I am actually responsible for organizing all of this).
How many days is the ride?
Around 63.
How many miles per day do you bike?
It varies depending on terrain, but generally somewhere between 70 and 110.
What route are you taking?
Our route is not finalized but mostly likely, we will start in Baltimore, go up to Niagara Falls, bike along the Great Lakes from there through Cleveland to Chicago, up to Minneapolis, across South Dakota, to Yellowstone in Wyoming. From there we will head north to Glacier National Park in Montana and will ride pretty close to the Canadian border until we hit Seattle! In total we will ride over 4,000 miles. (That’s why our route might seem a little funny. We really want to make sure we live up to our name “4k” and actually ride 4,000 miles, even if this does not mean taking the most direct route.
How many riders are they? Are they all college students?
We have approximately 30 riders. Most are current college students or will be recent grads. We also have a few riders who are a few years out of college. The most common school for the riders is Johns Hopkins. We also have a number of riders from other Baltimore area schools like UMBC. A smaller, but still significant number of riders, come from further away.
Where do you sleep?
Usually we stay wherever we can find free lodging. This includes churches, YMCAs, high schools, community centers, and colleges. When all else fails, we camp.
What do you eat?
Everything! Legend has it that the average 4ker eats 4000 to 5000 calories per day to make up for all the riding! Most of our food is donated, either by our generous hosts for the night or other stores and restaurants.
What do you do when it rains?
The 4k rides, rain or shine. We do get off the road for dangerous conditions though, such as lightning and severe hail.
You must be really athletic.
Not in the slightest. I hated running and any sort of athletic activity in high school and I detest the gym. I do like biking though.
What’s the best part of the 4k? What’s the worst?
I’m sure different riders would have different answers to this, but my favorite part of the ride was the community dinners. Almost every night we would have a dinner in the community we were staying in where we would give a presentation about the 4k and cancer. I loved meeting different people, hearing their cancer and non-cancer stories, and eating their very different food. It is certainly a different way to see parts of America that you would not otherwise see as a tourist.
The worst part of the 4k is waking up at 4 am.
Do you ever want to quit?
The thought occasionally crossed my mind. Usually around mile 70 of a 100 mile day, when I would be hot, tired, and sore. The thoughts were usually fleeting though. One of two things generally kept me going: My fantastic teammates or thoughts of the people I was doing the 4k for. Somehow, failing the 4k would have been failing them in my head. I definitely had days where I swore that I would never do the 4k again, but I obviously am not following through with that. There were definitely some days that were very hard, where I hated myself for deciding to do the 4k, where I was sore, tired, hot, hungry, sweaty, dirty, out-of-breath, bleeding, etc. But ultimately, the good of the 4k outweighs the hard and miserable one hundred times. There is very little I would go back and change about the experience of the 4k.
What about the mountains?
There are some pretty large mountains between the east and west coast. We hit the Appalachians around day 2 and those are definitely difficult. They are short mountains, but they are very steep, especially for inexperienced riders. Then there are the Rockies. In total, on the ride to San Francisco, we reached 12,183 feet in elevation and maxed out at around 26 consecutive miles of climbing. It was tough, but it was my favorite part of the trip. It’s beyond beautiful and nothing compares to the feeling of biking to the top of the Rockies.
