‘Keep pedaling.’ Boalsburg man’s 150-mile bike ride is raising funds for youth mental health

Every summer, Boalsburg resident Marc Warren packs up his 1982 steel frame Panasonic, his spare tire, four water bottles and a small repair kit and heads off to Pittsburgh with his wife.

It’s a tradition he’s taken part in for the past five years, and is set to start again on Tuesday. After one night in the city, he’ll embark on a 150-mile bike ride along the Greater Allegheny Passage, ending only once he’s reached Cumberland, Maryland.

But in the months leading up to the grueling 10-hour annual ride, Warren isn’t just training — he’s approaching friends, family and local businesses to raise money and awareness for youth mental health services. This year, Warren has raised more than $12,000 for the Jana Marie Foundation ahead of his Tuesday ride, with the nonprofit’s mental health awareness initiatives taking on special significance following the death by suicide of 14-year-old Abby Smith, a Park Forest Middle School student, this spring.

Warren hopes his fundraising efforts can help future families and those who struggle with mental health issues.

“It’s an easy ask,” he said. “The need is there. I have the easy part. I ride a bike, and they have the hard part.”

Due to Penn State’s large population of out-of-state and international students, Warren sees the nonprofit as something that can have both a national and international impact.

He believes the Jana Marie Foundation makes it easier for people to access the mental health support they need. When he was growing up in the 1960s, the stigma around mental health was a barrier for many people, including his mother.

“My mom definitely needed support and she felt that she was weak if she did,” he said. “I hope society is getting out of that realm because this [bike riding] is part of my mental health.”

In previous years of his ride, Warren raised money for the National Volunteer Fire Council’s Share the Load Hotline, a mental health resource for first responders and their families. Warren’s daughter, Ali Rothrock, is a former firefighter and advocate for first responder mental health — one of the driving forces behind Warren’s first fundraising bike rides. As Rothrock became more involved in first responder mental health organizations, Warren decided to start fundraising for the Jana Marie Foundation.

Although the 150-mile solo ride is physically exhausting, after mile 100 it’s more of a mental challenge, the 67-year-old said.

“You get to a point where you’re exhausted, and one of my favorite sayings is, ‘when you’re at the fringes of your abilities, you gain the most,’” he said.

What keeps him going on the second half of the ride is the celebratory meal Warren and his wife share at a Cumberland restaurant. It’s easier to keep pedaling when he knows there’s a large plate of spaghetti, two meatballs, and a glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc waiting for him after the finish line.

But, Warren says, the only way to do it, is to do it.

“I wouldn’t be in this position if I couldn’t do it,” he said. “So just keep pedaling — that’s how I sign a lot of my letters and emails, ‘keep pedalin.’ Because as long as I looked down the front wheels moving, I’m moving forward.”

Donations to Warren’s Ride for Hope can be made online on the Jana Marie Foundation’s website.