Day 53 (7/2/22) Fulfilled, Overwhelmed, Finished

Start:                  Sue and Steve Peckman’s House, Manasquan, NJ

End:                    The Atlantic Ocean

Miles:                 3

Elevation:           36 feet

(This is a summary of the day.  I’ll write a summary of the trip in the next few days.)

The journey ended today with a very quick and simple ride, but one with an unbelievable finish.

Starting from Sue and Steve’s house I pedaled to downtown Manasquan.  As I headed down Main Street, I got my first scent of the ocean which brought on a mixture of uncontrollable laughter and tears.  I knew for a week this was going to happen, but it still seemed unbelievable.  I then approached the main entrance to Manasquan Beach and….waited.  Not all of my family had made it to the finish spot about a mile down the road, so I waited on the walkway along the beach and just appreciated my first glance of the Atlantic and my achievement on my own for about 10 minutes. 

Once I got word that all had arrived, I pedaled the last mile to the soundtrack of the PM Love Theme Love Actually—a song I’ve played at the end of every marathon and Iron Man I’ve completed.  (Hey.  I like RomComs, and the song is inspiring.)  The culmination and the song also brings me to tears every time.  This was not different. 

As I approached Inlet Beach—the finish point—I was amazed (overwhelmed reall) to see 30+ family, friends, and members of the press cheering me on.  Certainly a moment deserving of a fist pump or two. Friends and family had made all sorts of cool posters commemorating my trip which will be treasured.  I wish I could say it was nice to get out of the saddle after a long ride, but hey, it was 3 flat miles so I wasn’t tired in the least.  I was glad to be able to say a few words to everyone, thanking them for sharing this moment with me and cheering me along the way as well.  I was so excited to see my godfather at the finish.  Uncle Jerry is 88 and was my Dad’s best friend.  He sent me a message early on telling me my Dad would have been proud of my ride which meant so, so much to me (still does).  Of course I had Tish at my side and hopefully gave her all of the credit she so deserves.  (We did it honey!)

After that, we headed to the ocean.  Smoke’s tires were dipped in the Atlantic just as they had been dipped in the Pacific on April 20.  I also had collected some water from the Pacific when we started.  I poured a little into the Atlantic to complete the circle and then mixed some Atlantic water with the Pacific water.  We’ll figure what to do with this brew later. 

We took lots of pictures on the beach with family and friends and then I did two interviews:  one with NJ.com and another with The Asbury Park Press.  The NJ.com article was published later in the day, but I’m still trying to figure out how everyone can read it without a subscription.  The Asbury Park Press will publish on Sunday.

Then it was back to the parking area for bagels, muffins, orange juice, and champagne with everyone who was so good to get up so early to be part of the finish. 

One other highlight of the finish was the wonderful chalk art picture an artist completed on the walkway commemorating my journey.  Thanks to Steve and Sue for making that happen.  It was a great surprise.

I spent the rest of the day with my cousin Jerry (Uncle Jerry’s son), his wife Lisa, Rick (an old family friend), and my older brother Don.  We all go way back to our early childhoods so there was much reminiscing and celebrating.  Jerry and Lisa’s house is beautiful, and perhaps most importantly given the time of year, their backyard is big enough to support large fireworks displays.  (No neighbors complained.)

What am I Grateful for Today?

A lot of very special people who were compelled to get up at 5 a.m.--many of whom had to drive at least an hour to the Shore on a Saturday on July 4th weekend.  We dodged the traffic, but still it was a very early wakeup call.  I will never forget the moment I pedaled up to what I believe I can legitimately call a crowd that was cheering me on.

I don’t think I’ve ever written about being grateful for good weather as that’s really out of my control, but I’m so grateful the rain held off until the afternoon.  I would have finished rain or shine, but I didn’t want my family and friends to get wet.

More thanks you’s to come in my final post in a few days.