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The Rice Thresher
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by BEN JOHNSON THRESHER STAFF Ever inline-skated around the Outer Loop? How about doing it 60 times in a row? Will Rice College senior Luke Hartley and Baker College senior Tom Burnett braved bumpy roads and sloping hills for the MS-150 last weekend, a 182-mile non-competitive bicycling trip from Houston to Austin that draws approximately 5,000 participants annually and raises over $1 million to support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Burnett skated 96 miles to the halfway point in La Grange before stopping, while Hartley finished the entire 182-mile trip with a handful of other in-line skaters. "The first 40 to 50 miles were no trouble," Burnett said. "They were all flat roads so we were able to hang in there with the bikers. But towards lunch and after lunch the roads got progressively worse and hillier. When I got up on the second day I had just about had it with the roads, so I called it quits." Hartley described the second, more strenuous half of the trip with an analogy. "You know at Home Depot when you buy paint, and you buy different kinds and they shake it in that machine? Well it's sort of like they're doing that to your feet for 60 miles," he said. The two seniors said they trained for about five months, skating 80 to 90 miles a week. "We started skating pretty seriously last semester," Burnett said. "We also got involved with the Houston skating group Urban Animal. They inspired us to do long-distance skating so we bought some new skating equipment and decided to do something challenging." The two skaters funded the trip by themselves and raised about $1,000 in pledges. Hartley and Burnett both said they were pleased with the support from Rice students and other MS-150 participants. "It was really a good experience because there were always bikers willing to help out so you could catch a good draft off somebody, which is really beneficial," Hartley said. "Everybody was really supportive - every time you passed somebody or they passed you they would say you're 'crazy' or you're 'hardcore,' which really kept you going." "Rice students were very supportive as well," Burnett said. "When I came back to school limping around, people congratulated me on being able to stand up and for staying in one piece. It was really inspiring, really makes you want to smile." Some participants found more exotic ways to cover the long stretch than just biking or skating. "There were people out there who were a lot tougher than us," Burnett said. "One guy completed it on a special road bike unicycle with a three-foot-tall tire, one gear and no coasting. The guy pedaled his unicycle 182 miles," he said. "Some Navy SEALS decided to run it. They started on Friday at 9 p.m. and finished on Sunday at 4 p.m" - back - |
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