what I'll be doing NEXT weekend (or really, why) :: RunningForums.com

Houston Chronicle wrote:

MS 150 riders have good reason to give it their allBy STEVE SIEVERT
For the Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/printstory.mpl/sports/cycling/3122439

When they head to the starting line for the 2005 BP MS 150 in a little more than two weeks, many of the participating cyclists will not have had the pleasure of meeting Tim Hart.

However, each and every one of the anticipated 12,000 cyclists in the tour will be riding for Hart and others like him.

Hart has multiple sclerosis (MS). His story and several others like it help transform the annual MS 150 into more than just a bike ride. The tour has become a celebration of life, inspired by Hart and others whose lives have been forever changed by this chronic, often debilitating disease.

Hart is a Houstonian and an MS 150 survivor who was diagnosed with the disease in 1985 after leading a life defined by pursuing a variety of physical challenges. Success in business provided Hart with the means to travel the world before he was 30 years old. He skydived, hiked the Appalachian Trail, captained his own sailboat and windsurfed.

However, that lifestyle was suddenly interrupted after Hart started to experience numbness in his hands, legs and feet. A diagnosis of MS would follow and present the young man with his greatest obstacle.

"Having MS is the most difficult thing I've ever had to face," said Hart, now 52. "It can be so discouraging to see the physical gains of many years of exercise wiped out by the next MS exacerbation. This has happened over and over again as the muscles in my legs weakened to the point where I could no longer walk unaided."

In spite of the setbacks he encountered, Hart was adamant about being part of the annual MS 150. In 1995, he began volunteering with the Lone Star Chapter of the National MS Society in various capacities, including the bike tour. For the past five years, he's been on the Pedal Partner Committee, which links participants with MS survivors.

Hart's participation with the MS 150 has given him an appreciation for those who dedicate a portion of their lives to help in the cause to support MS patient-assistance programs and clinical research.

"I wouldn't be doing as well as I am today without the dollars raised, the research done and the drugs approved," Hart said. "The efforts of many thousands of MS 150 riders, researchers and doctors over the many years have yielded the actual improvements that I've seen in my quality of life."

Now in its 21st year, the MS 150 bike tour has become the largest event of its kind in the nation, raising millions of dollars every year to support MS initiatives. With another year of record participation this month, MS 150 organizers are expecting to raise $10 million. The generosity of cyclists and their supporters is unmatched.

As cyclists in this year's tour continue to make their final preparations for the ride and begin to visualize their two days on the road from Houston to Austin, they are likely to realize that there could be some tough moments along the way. Cycling 180 miles in two days is not a challenge to be taken lightly.

However, getting through those difficult patches along the way becomes a whole lot easier when riders remember why they are on that road in the first place.

"Please remember, there are a lot of things in life that are difficult," reflected Hart. "MS is just one of them. If you ever experience tough times, I hope that you will do what I do — always keep trying and never, ever give up. I haven't."

what I'll be doing NEXT weekend (or really, why)

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