Thomas Odom vs. RAAM

On October 23, Thomas Odom got on his bike at 4:30am at Dahlonega Mountain Sports on the square. And he rode his bike 776.5 miles to Washington, DC.

WHY?

From Thomas: We have one mission….Inspiration through every mile, smiles for every state and opportunities in sport for every person with or without disabilities. Together WE Wheel!

I became involved in endurance sports in 2006 after finishing an Appalachian Trail thru hike the prior year. I was looking for something else to pursue. I was instantly hooked. From my start in endurance sports, I had 2 goals. One…I wanted to race Kona, the Ironman World Championship. Second…I wanted to ride my bike across the country. Not long after starting, I did my first Ironman, then a few more, then a double Ironman, then some ultra runs and several more Ironmans. In 2016, I was blessed to race Kona after qualifying the prior year. Immediately, the next goal started to tug at me…but something had changed….

For years, I raced for myself…my glory. But during my pursuit of Kona, I became involved with two organizations. The Kyle Pease Foundation and ConnectAbility. These two organizations changed my mindset. The Kyle Pease Foundation exist to create awareness and raise funds to promote success for persons with disabilities by providing assistance to meet their individual needs through sports. ConnectAbility seeks to create communities where people of all abilities are valued, included and empowered. THERE ARE NO BETTER ORGANIZATIONS! I became empowered to race for more than myself! I was able to race for a purpose! This only allowed me to push harder and further! My friend and fellow athlete, Jon Crais, inspired me to push beyond my abilities as we raced together. The strength I saw(and still see) in Jon allowed me to dig deep!

So now what?……

RAAM is what! The hardest bike race in the world. Oceanside, California to Annapolis, Maryland in 12 days. It will take hours and hours and hours training. It will take extreme sleep deprivation. It will take pain I cannot yet comprehend. It will take immense sacrifice from my family. It will take countless hours of dedication from friends and crew!

WHY?

WHY?

WHY?

We want INCLUSION! We want relationships. We want empowerment. By hitting our goal of $50,000 for these NON-PROFITS, we will provide opportunities for countless athletes and families to be included and empowered to chase their dreams.

Learn more and GIVE here!

OR here!