Mile Post: 180,00  195,000

 

 

It has been four years since I concocted a million mile motorcycle journey for Multiple Sclerosis and I thought today might be a good time to take a moment to look back and evaluate my mission.

 

I know I have missed some original goals and opportunities, but like fighting the disease itself, I charge forward with determination daily while continuing to chase the cure. I may have fallen short of my optimistic 100,000 mile per year plan, but I have managed to document riding 195,000 miles for MS across the United States and Canada so far. If you consider the average motorcyclist rides 3,000 miles a year, I’ve just racked up 65 years of riding. I have burned through 27 sets of tires, over 5000 gallons of petrol and not a drop of soap. Yep, bike #1 still has yet to be washed!

 

 

 

 

 

At one point I was hoping to raise a dollar for every mile, but I am not completely disappointed to report with the help of MS5000 riders and supporters, we have raised  $90,000 for the National MS Society. Thanks to opportunities from multiple pharmaceutical companies, I have been able to share my story at almost 200 MS patient programs from Florida to Alaska, Maine, California and almost every state in between.

 

 

Amazingly, no one has questioned my traveling to every single event by motorcycle. I have also spoken at dozens of motorcycle rallies, open houses and conferences. Apparently, my humorously painful struggle to overcome challenges while riding the world’s biggest piece of crap in the World’s Toughest Motorcycle Competition is gaining universal appeal, because I have been receiving inquires about sharing my Also Ran presentation at colleges and conferences.

 

 

With the help of National Powersports Distributors in NH, I was able to set a world record by being the first person to ride 1000 miles in 24 hours on 100 different bikes. I then rode one of their scooters from Boston to Chicago in a powder blue tuxedo. The two extreme rides raised $10,000. Although my second world record attempt was stalled by lack of funding and employment issues, I have not completely given up on the plan to ride 50,000 miles in 50 days. I have new fundraising ideas as well, like riding a chopper coast to coast in 50 hours and a few other ridiculous feats in the works, so stay tuned!

 

 

 

I may have started as a man with a bike and a half-baked idea, but my determination and perseverance has now garnered respect and gear and equipment support from motorcycle industry leaders such as Yamaha, Twisted Throttle, Bridgestone, Spectro Oils, BMS Saddles, Aerostich, Globalstar and the Iron Butt Association. My second Yamaha motorcycle, riding gear and accessories have all been graciously provided by people and companies that believe in me and my journey; I am humbly appreciative.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have appeared in national live educational broadcasts, motorcycle podcasts, newspaper articles, evening newscasts and I am now featured in pamphlets and websites about treatment options for MS relapse therapy. I have appeared in multiple motorcycle gear and accessory catalogs as well as the subject of corporate inspirational email blasts to hundreds of thousands of people. Thousands of followers visit my website, reading my blog or just checking my live SPOT satellite tracking page to see just where the heck I’m heading next. Yamaha has begun inviting me to share my story and display my dirty bike under their tent at national events across the country. I believe every bit of exposure I get is another opportunity to raise awareness and funds that will ultimately lead to a cure for Multiple Sclerosis.

 

 

 

These four years did not pass without pain, problems or consequences. My days on the motorcycle can be long and hard and leave little time to enjoy the beautiful places I whir by. I am often on the interstate fifteen to eighteen hours at a whack, trying to make it to my next scheduled event. Thousand mile days blend into each other as I race time and the uncertainty of a progressive disease.

 

There is no place in my schedule for waiting out the weather. Rain, fog, sleet, snow, and blistering heat wear me down but also feed my determination to press on. I fear if I slow down, my symptoms and my disease will catch up and I may never regain my momentum.

When my body complains about the constant jarring and repetitive motions of riding, I try to remind myself how lucky I am to still feel pain, as many people who live with MS have complete numbness in their limbs or entire bodies.

My million mile journey is for all who have been struck by this unpredictable disease.

 

I battle my MS symptoms almost daily; fatigue, cognitive issues, heat intolerance and my latest inconvenient symptom I now refer to as RBS or Restless Bladder Syndrome.

Besides my body, I have also beaten the snot out my bike and most of my gear. I do not have any fiscal sponsors (although I plan to sell advertising space on my bike soon).  My out of pocket expenses for this endeavor are double the honorariums I collect from speaking engagements. I had to choose between being on the road and my full time job, so I switched to part-time. I have no guarantee or control of the amount of presentations I get invited to speak at, and at some point they may stop all together. A third of my appearances and seminars are on my dime.

 

I am always looking for additional opportunities to help with the high costs of this venture and surviving financially at home. While I’m going there, I might also mention I am also coming up way short on my share of the work in and around our home. I buzz in for a few days, reload and buzz back out. While I’m eating at restaurants and having a maid make my bed, my incredible wife is taking care of everything at home; alone. This journey has indeed challenged our relationship. As we celebrate ten years together, I must say I am the luckiest man alive to have such a caring and loving partner who rarely complains or reminds me of the sacrifices she endures every single day because of a monumental change she did not sign up for. Without Elin, this journey would not be happening. Her patience, understanding and unconditional love is worthy of sainthood. She is my best friend by far, and I love her dearly.

 

Overall, I’ll score my mission at the 4-year mark a ‘B-‘. My journey is growing some very strong roots but there is so much more to accomplish. I need to ride more and raise more awareness. I need to find additional time to write, create new fundraisers and update the social media portions of my mission more frequently. I believe encouraging folks to find something to be passionate about and make it more important than their disease is really helping. The warm and fuzzies I get every time I leave an event where I was able to make a difference medicate my soul and treats my disease. I need to help more people. I want to inspire new audiences who may also need encouragement to overcome the challenges they face in their lives.

I must continue on.

 

 

Publishing my life’s story, setting new world records and additional requests to speak could certainly help ease the financial burden of my quest. It would also be great to see my MS5000 fundraiser become a national event, increasing exposure and funds raised for the MS Society exponentially. I take great pride in knowing some of the money we helped raise was used to fund stem cell research which shows great promise in actually STOPPING and possibly REVERSING Multiple Sclerosis damage.

 

 

As I travel around to different regions of the country, I see folks who have lived decades without treatments or quality care and suffer with the debilitating symptoms of this disease. Every mile and every dollar I raise, I think of them. I am also riding against a ticking clock, understanding the uncertainty of what may still happen to those of us lucky enough to slow the disease down for a bit. Today, MS is an incurable progressive disease that damages the central nervous system. The remedy, by my calculations is only 804,000 miles away and that is why I must continue riding as fast and as hard as I can;

Chasing the Cure.

 

 

Longhaulpaul

 

Thanks to these companies who have supported my journey, while asking nothing in return.

Yamaha

Twisted Throttle

Bridgestone

National Powersports

Aerostich

Spectro Oils

Bill Mayer Saddles

Eazcycles

Globalstar