NEWS ABOUT GARRY KRAVIT
Dear Friends and Family,
This last weekend I participated in the 2004 Maroone MS150 ride to benefit the
National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The event was a great success
on many levels.
There were approximately 1400 riders who departed Miami Dade Community College
on Saturday morning April 24th at 7:00 am and rode 75 miles
down to Key Largo. On Sunday we rode back up to Miami another 75 miles.
I'm pleased to report that with the generous help of so many that I
raised $2,080.00. This put me in the top 100 fundraisers for the ride.
As of this time the riders raised nearly $800,000.00.
On Saturday with the winds out of the East at about 15 mph, I completed the
ride in 4 hours, thirteen minutes, and fifty seconds. I made one stop at
60 miles to refuel my water bottles and go wee wee. I burned 3,901
calories and my heart beat 37,579 times. My average heart rate was 148
bpm and my maximum, achieved while going over the Card Sound Bridge
(approximately 100 feet high and a steep ascent) was 180 bpm. My average
speed was 17.6 mph for a total ride of 74.4 miles.
On Sunday with stronger winds gusting up to about 18 to 20 mph from
the East, and with much of the ride into the wind, my time was
4:08:05. I made two stops on Sunday for water and bathroom. I
burned 3518 calories and my heart beat 34,743 times. My
average heart rate was 140 bpm and the maximum, again attained while
climbing over the Card Sound Bridge (this time with a tail wind) was 160
bpm. My average speed on this ride was 17.8 mph and my maximum speed (on
the downside of the bridge) was 34 mph. It made me a little
nervous going this fast. I kept watching my front tire hoping that
I wouldn't have a blow out. Total miles on Sunday ridden were 72.9.
One of the funniest things I'd heard happening on Saturday was that two kids,
maybe ten or eleven years old, saw the riders passing by their neighborhood in
Miami and decided to ride with them for a while. They simply joined in
with the cyclists and after a while found themselves in Key Largo. They
approached an official looking person wearing an I.D. tag and said,
"Okay, we're ready to go back home now." The MS150
official, not understanding what the boys were talking about said,
"What do you mean?" They boys said that they were tired and
needed to be driven back up to Miami. Obviously there were no provisions
for this sort of thing so the official lent them his cell phone to call their
parents. Appearantly the boy's father who answered the phone
expressed a surprised and unsympathetic reaction to the news that his son
had ridden nearly 50 miles down to Key Largo and that he now had to drive down
to pick him up. This story gave a bunch of us a much needed laugh
on Sunday morning as the sun was rising, our muscles were complaining, and we
were anxious to depart for Miami.
The food was excellent at all times during and after the ride. Rider
support at rest stops was great and the route was constantly patrolled by
support vehicles and police. Motorists were quite respectful.
The ride is not a race and most people averaged 10 to 12 mph. While
it took them several hours longer than some of us, they made extensive use of
the six rest stops for water and food. While I personally envied
the riders who were maintaining a 22 or 23 mph pace for the whole
ride, I have the most respect for the rider who was maintaining 10 mph and took
over seven hours each day to complete their rides. That's the
beautiful thing about the MS150 -- it is open to cyclists of all experience
levels and the vast majority of those participating ride for the fun and
enjoyment of a good cause. I would encourage anyone who likes to ride a
bicycle to participate next year.
Again, thanks for your support. In July I'll be participating
in The Frank Stark Celebration Century Ride. A century is a
100 mile ride. No fund raising required on this ride. It leaves Boca
Raton and rides north up US1 to north of Palm Beach and then back.
Frank Stark was an Eastern Airlines pilot who was also an avid cyclist.
He passed away from heart disease at a ripe old age and this ride celebrates
his love of cycling and benefits the American Heart Association.
In August, I'll be riding in the Five Points of Life Ride - Seattle, WA
to Cocoa Beach, FL. If you would like to contribute to the team
click on the link below and then click on the link to HELP THE TEAM.
When it comes to good causes I never mind asking for money. At the same
time I respect the fact that people give and donate in all kinds of ways.
If you can't help our team in a financial sense (I'm about halfway toward
raising the $5,000 I need) you can help by donating blood, becoming a bone
marrow donor (tell the people at the blood bank when you donate blood that
want to do this and they simply fill out a form), or becoming an organ and
tissue donor. It's a pretty cool thing to spend thirty minutes of
your time at a blood donation center and go home to tell your friends and
family that you helped to save someone's life today.
Some people have asked what the Five Points of Life Ride route will be.
Here's what I know so far:
AUGUST
24th, 2004: Seattle via Federal Way to Olympia; via Longview and St Helens
to Portland. OR, then Salem to Stayton and onto Highway 20 across most of
Oregon enroute to Boise. We will head to Salt Lake City and from Vernal,
UT to Steamboat Springs and through Ft. Collins to Lakewood/Denver.
I will place the routing and maps on the web site as I know them. Please
mark your web browser with the link below so that you can keep track of our
progress.
Warmest Regards,