Michael McFarlin always dreamed of cycling from his home state of Minnesota to his new home in South Riding, so last year when someone told the 62-year-old about the American Lung Association’s Big Ride Across America, he checked out the route.
"It ran from Seattle to Washington, and it went right through Minnesota," McFarlin said. "So I decided to do it."
Beginning June 25, McFarlin and 44 other cyclists left Seattle and headed across the country. Each day, McFarlin and the cyclists rode an average of 84 miles to a designated rest spot, camping over night, for 36 of the 48 days. Along the way McFarlin and the other riders were able to stop at some of the country’s most famous and infamous landmarks.
"I got to do something that most people wouldn’t have thought about doing," McFarlin said. "Just being able to see the U.S., the 13 states we went through was amazing."
An average day for McFarlin would begin at 5 a.m., getting on the road by 6:30 and end at 6 p.m., when the riders were required to get off the roads.
"The temperature ranged from 35 degrees to 122 degrees," McFarlin said. "We went right across the northern tier, but we were only on the interstate for 40 miles. So you saw all the old highways, we saw America the way it used to be."
Along the way, McFarlin said, he and his fellow riders would stop and talk to people in the towns and cities they passed through.
"I’m a big Starbucks fan, so every time I’d pass one, I’d stop," he said. "I’d just get to talking to people in line. We met America."
IT TOOK ALMOST year of preparation for the already fit McFarlin to get ready for the challenge, including intense workouts.
"I did a lot of weight lifting and exercising," he said. "Including working myself up to be able to ride 84 miles in a day."
In addition to preparing himself physically, McFarlin also had to raise money for the American Lung Association in order to participate.
"Each rider must raise $5,500 to finalize their participation," said Paul Payton, director of communications for American Lung Association of Washington, which organized the event. "Over 50 percent of our participants far exceed the minimum, however. In fact, Mike was our second top fund-raiser for the event. He raised $16,000."
For McFarlin, supporting the American Lung Association was a natural thing. Both his parents suffered from lung issues, his father from asthma and his mother from breathing problems.
"Our emphasis is on bringing awareness to people living with lung disease," Payton said. "A lot of our riders have personal connections. These riders become ambassadors for lung health."
MCFARLIN, A PROJECT manager for DynCorp International, was able to raise his money, he said, because of the support of his company.
"DynCorp sponsored my $5,500," he said. "The company gave me time off to make up for what days I didn’t have. And they bought me my uniforms. They were very supportive."
Greg Lagana, director of communications for DynCorp International, said the company was impressed by McFarlin’s plan and the way he presented it to the company.
"We thought this was a good opportunity to support a really special initiative by one of our own," Lagana said. "And the association itself was a good cause."
The rest of money, McFarlin said, came from other people in his life who believed in what he was doing.
"I have a lot of close friends and a lot of people who were willing to step up and help," he said.
WHILE BOTH THE cause and the physical requirements played a big role in McFarlin’s experience, he said the best part was the people he rode with and the experiences they had together.
"We ranged in age from 19 to 76," he said. "There were lawyers, doctors, teachers, college students. We had an array of all types of people."
When McFarlin was in Minnesota he was met by his wife, Susan, and they were able to see some of their family, including visiting his parents’ grave.
The trip was not always easy, or even enjoyable, for the riders, however.
"The hardest part was the mental of every day getting up and doing the miles," McFarlin said. "It rained for five days and you had six or seven hours of riding in the rain. Those are the tough days."
In addition to working remotely from his Blackberry, McFarlin also kept a blog so people could track his progress.
"We made an announcement to the company so people could follow him throughout his journey," Lagana said.
Overall, McFarlin said he received nothing but support from the people who learned about what he was doing, although the first reaction was usually, "Are you crazy?"
McFarlin arrived home Aug. 11, and he said that he has no regrets about the experience.
"I would like to do something like this again," he said. "It met all the expectations I had."
And even after a 48-day, 3,300-mile adventure, McFarlin said he is ready to keep going.
"I am going to go riding again tonight," he said.