Will Armbruster – RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Back in May, Kevin Record embarked on a cross-country bike trip to raise awareness for cancer. Using the Virginia Capital Trail as his launching pad, he dipped his tires in the York River on Friday, May 27 and was off.
Catching up with old friends and meeting new ones along the way was an added incentive. But the leading reason behind the journey was to honor five people, including his 84-year-old mother, who either are battling or have battled cancer.
He started a fundraising campaign with the American Cancer Society's ‘Ride Across America to Beat Cancer' initiative in hopes of raising $10,000.
Well, fast-forward two-and-a-half months, and he made it. And to say he achieved his goal is an understatement.
Record, a graduate of Lynchburg College who worked at several media outlets across Virginia before moving to Tallahassee, Florida, completed the 3,865-mile journey on Wednesday, August 3 when he arrived in San Francisco, California where his two sons were waiting for him. He then dipped the tires of his "horse" into the water – this time the San Francisco Bay – one last time.
His journey was over.
"The horse went in the water first," Record wrote in his blog, which he updated daily throughout his trip. "Then a small wave came. My feet were soaked. It was awesome."
Record spent the remainder of the day with his two sons, Kyle and Josh, eating burgers and fries and a local sports bar.
"It doesn't get any better, just like the good ole days," Record wrote. "We returned to (his son's) apartment and I soon went fast asleep. It was odd not to have a destination for the next day.
But I was at peace.
Beat cancer."