On New Year”™s Eve, Mark Carey completed the final 15 miles of the 10,000-mile of his solo bicycle ride that began on Jan. 10, 2021, with the goal of raising awareness and donations for multiple sclerosis research.
“For the curious, 10,000 miles is roughly three trips across the United States from Point Arena, California, (the westernmost point of the U.S., to West Quoddy Head, Maine, the easternmost point of the U.S.,” said Carey, who is the owner of Carey of Associates PC a Southport-based law firm specializing in employment discrimination litigation.
Carey stated his bicycling routes were “typically all around Fairfield County,” with three-fourths of his mileage accumulated on the open road and the remaining miles clocked in during inclement weather on a trainer bike in his garage and on a Peloton exercise bike.
“About 30 years ago, my wife was diagnosed with MS before we got married and has been dealing with it since,” he said, adding that at the start of 2021 his wife saw a news article about progress being made on a vaccine to prevent the further spread of MS in a body.
“To hear news like that, it’s like solving cancer,” he said. “But I was like, ”˜What can I do? I’m only a lawyer ”“ I represent people who have MS. But there’s nothing I physically do.”™”
Carey recalled being inspired to pursue this accomplishment when he read “an article in the Wall Street Journal a year prior to the beginning of the pandemic about some fellow who ridden 10,000 miles in Brooklyn and Queens.” While he participated in MS fundraising rides before, he decided to push himself further.
“I contacted the National MS Society on January 10 and set up an individual DIY fundraiser which I didn’t know they had,” he said. “They set up a Facebook page landing page and I would just redirect all my social media to that.”
Carey updated his social media followers throughout 2021 on his progress, and by the end of the year he amassed more than $16,000 in donations.
“According to the National MS Society, I ranked seventh overall in the individual fundraising category for 2021,” he said.
For 2022, Carey is doing an encore fundraising ride, with the goal of pedaling 15,000 miles through Dec. 31. He added that he hoped other people would follow his example by using sports activities to fundraise for medical research.
“If people can do that, that would be inspiring,” he said.
