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With just about 500 miles to go, you might be able to see the top of Donald Trump's hair-do in Atlantic City. I'm sure just like any good stable horse, the boys are starting to smell the barn. It's getting closer.
During the past 24 hrs., Shannon's Soldiers crossed into Ohio from Indiana and at the time of this writing are about to leave Ohio and enter West Virginia. They've pedaled over 2,500 miles since last Tuesday afternoon and have just over 500 miles to their Atlantic City destination. They still have the states of West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey in front of them but Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Kansas, Kansas, Kansas, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Arizona and California are in the rear view mirror.
The hot and humid weather are still a problem but actually the average speed has increased today versus yesterday, probably again, because the end is getting closer. Shannon's Soldiers are projected to cross the finish line in Atlantic City between 3:00 am-3:30 am (Eastern Time) on Wednesday morning, June 20. I think they'll be a good contingent of family and friends cheering for them at the finish line but my guess is the guys will want to take a long shower and go to bed. Probably not much interest in hitting the casinos. My wife Cathy and I are catching the red-eye to Philadelphia tonight and plan to be in Atlantic City by noon tomorrow. I'll figure out some way to get my daily update out to all of you.
The enclosed photo shows my brother Pat finishing his leg and handing things over to fellow teammate, Dan Schmidt. These guys have almost completed this unbelievable challenge and they and their support crew are exhausted and running on fumes. When you wake up Wednesday morning, if for some reason you happen to think of Shannon's Soldiers being done with their journey across our country, I hope you grin from ear to ear thinking about what they've accomplished and the important role all of you played in making the purpose of this trip so meaningful to Pat and his daughter Shannon.
My next update will be from ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY!!
Jim Mahoney
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The Angels Cross the Mississippi!
I hitched a ride with this crew at approximately 3:00am Monday morning in Marthasville, MO. John and Steve road steady into the night and early morning hours on the narrow and windy back roads of Missouri. The twist, turns and hills were a challenge….but nothing these two men couldn’t conquer! They had pedaled us all the way to the Mississippi River by about 8:30am, exhausted but determined to cross the river as a team as the picture proves! The hand off was smooth and Bill & Bill caught another gear as we proceeded East on 40 through Greenville, Effingham, and Marshal IL. During this phase of the race the guys pushed through rain for over 50 miles…never letting up! As Bill Edmonds said so eloquently “now this is racing”…ok that’s not a quote but it’s close. We ended our Day at 8:01pm in Putnamville, IN. As John rode off with Ken, Trish and Steve Eastward on Hwy 40 toward Indy land. What a day! GO TEAM!
Connie O
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Happy Fathers Day. Three of the four Shannon's Soldiers riders are fathers and I'm sure they wish they were with their families today.
Today, the team has moved through Missouri into Illinois and soon will be in Indiana. They have just arrived at Time Station #37 in Effingham, Illinois which means they have completed 2,100 miles and have less than 1,000 miles to go to reach their Atlantic City, New Jersey destination. They're 2/3 done.
Oppressing heat and humidity has been the demon for the past two days with daytime highs in the mid 90s with high humidity. These conditions sap strength and accelerate mental and physical fatigue. The weather report doesn't sound much different for tomorrow as they make their way through Indiana and Ohio. Fortunately, the nights are much cooler with temperatures in the 60s.
Based on their progress, Shannon's Soldiers continue to have a predicted arrival in Atlantic City during the morning of Wednesday, June 20th. Please keep them in your thoughts as the reports are that things have gotten a bit fragile. Maybe the riding segments in the cooler temperatures tonight will lift their spirits.
More tomorrow.
Jim Mahoney
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