Friends remember cyclist-kayaker with event to fight ALS
Christine Boush, Staff Writer
Published March 11, 2007


It was the race Jerry Beckwith always dreamed about -- an extreme kayak race down the scenic Green River Narrows followed by a road cycling race winding through the back roads of the Saluda Grade.

Instead of being able to participate, Beckwith watched from the sidelines, imprisoned in his own body.

In June 2005, the former triathlete from Asheville, N.C., was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS. Commonly referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," it affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord, progressively paralyzing the body.

"He was active his whole life," said Jerry's wife, Brid Beckwith. "He spent his life treating his body like a temple, and then he became a prisoner in it."

She said they were astounded at the ruthlessness of the disease, but more discouraging was the lack of resources they had with which to tackle it.

"We've known about ALS since the 1870s and it's found all over the world, but no one knows where it comes from or why it starts." Brid Beckwith said. "You kind of hear about ALS, but no one knows what it is. People need to be more aware of the incurable disease that is out there, and we need more money and more research to find the cause of it."

Birth of the Baddle

Brid Beckwith knew within minutes of their first date she wanted to marry Jerry.

"He talked about his friends and the brotherhood of kayakers and how important they were to him," Brid Beckwith said. "For someone to be able to talk about their friends like that, I knew he was pretty special."

Those same friends contacted her in January 2006 with the idea for "Jerry's Baddle." The biking and paddling race would serve as a way to honor Jerry as well as raise money and awareness for ALS.

"I met Jerry through kayaking and used to road bike a lot with him," said Brooks Saucier of Tryon, N.C., who conceived the idea. "I remember times when I couldn't keep up with him and he was 15 years older than I was."

Watching Jerry lose his ability to do his two favorite things motivated Saucier to create an event that would help bring awareness of ALS.

"The idea wasn't to raise money to pay his bills, it was more in honor of him and then giving the money to research," Saucier said. "It doesn't have a lot of funds given to it because it's not a big enough disease to gather support from larger research organizations, yet there are a good many people that have it."

Organizing the event was labor intensive, but the kayaking community banded together to make Jerry's Baddle come to life.

"He was a real behind-the-scenes kind of guy and when I broke the news to him that everyone at home was planning this race for him, I had to tell him three times before it sank in," Brid Beckwith said. "It was exciting to see that all these people would bring his dream to reality."

The grassroots fundraiser0

What can friendship, 300 brownies, live music and a road bike/extreme kayak race in rural North Carolina do to help raise awareness of ALS?

No one was prepared for the answer. About 250 people attended last year's event, which generated about $19,500 in revenue.

"We were so surprised when we raised that much," Saucier said. "Because we did everything ourselves, we could do everything for dirt cheap, and everyone participated and did their little part.

It was a bittersweet day as they celebrated the life of one of their dearest friends with the very activities he could no longer participate in.

Brid Beckwith wore a sign on her back reading "I ride for Jerry" and competed on his behalf.

"It was tough, riding the race he always wanted to ride," she said.

Jerry Beckwith died 17 days after the race at age 47, but his legacy lives on.

The second annual Baddle will be Saturday, and will include the trademark brownies, live music, food and outdoor auction that made the first one as much a festival as a race.

"Even if you don't ride or kayak, you can come to support ALS research," Brid Beckwith said. "The more people who are aware of it, the closer we are to finding the cure."

Christine Boush can be reached at 562-7219 or at christine.boush@shj.com.