Braxtan Martin, a junior at UAFS, is biking from the Pacific Northwest to Capitol Lawn in an effort to raise $600,000 to help people with mental and physical disabilities.
FORT SMITH, Ark. — Students from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith (UAFS) are traveling from the East Coast to the West Coast for charity work.
Junior Braxton Martin is biking across the United States, just passing through Missouri, and the trip will take the soon-to-be senior from Seattle to Washington, D.C.
Through Ability Experience, he is taking the fraternity’s “Journey of Hope,” a 4,315-mile journey from the Pacific Northwest to the U.S. Capitol.
“Usually between 15 and 17 years old. [miles]”Depending on the terrain, some days you get snow, some days you don’t,” Martin said. “Snow, hail, sleet, all of it, and dirt roads. Those are the days that are fun.”
As daunting as such a feat may seem, it becomes even more incredible when you realise that cycling was never Martin’s only hobby.
“No, this is really new,” he said. “I’d done a little bit of biking, like in middle school, but it was just to go to a friend’s house in the neighborhood.”
Martin said the long journey was preceded by preparations from his fraternity, primarily using stationary bikes to prepare for a bike ride across the country.
“They have their trainers send them their schedules, tell them what they have to do, how much they have to do, when their rest days are, when they can make up days,” Martin said. “We have five crew vans that come out every 10 miles to help out, so if there’s a mechanical issue, we have enough water, Gatorade and food.”
The journey aims to raise $600,000 to support people with mental and physical disabilities, and along the way, they’re also spreading friendship.
“We’ve had balloon wars, dance parties. The other day we had a shaving cream battle. It’s been really fun. We want people to smile, laugh, make friends and also give back with grants and donations,” Martin said.
If you want to keep up with Martin, you can follow his group’s Transamerica trips on The Ability Experience’s website or on social media. You can also support their work by donating through this link or by scanning the QR code below.
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