The weight is over for biking trio

Willamette University charity riders finish journey several pounds lighter

CAPI LYNN
Statesman Journal

March 27, 2007

Alex MacKenzie and Wes Randall are polishing their résumés. Kevin Dean is debating which graduate school to attend. And all three are doing some part-time work.

Almost as pressing for the Willamette University graduates these days is curbing their appetites.

"We're generally starving all day long," Dean said recently while dining on a bowl of fruit at a campus dining hall.

Their metabolism skyrocketed during a grueling 48-day, 3,185-mile bike ride across the country, thanks to a diet laden with energy bars, sports drinks, Honey Buns, Pop-Tarts and anything carbo-loaded.

A well-balanced meal, for them, was Hamburger Helper and macaroni and cheese.

Dean seemed to be the most vigilant about trying to include fruit in his diet.

"When he had an apple," MacKenzie said, "I had an apple and a Snickers.

"What's funny is, we lost more weight than he did."

The trio combined lost 47 pounds on the trip, and their friends have taken notice.

"You guys look trim," said former football teammate Joseph Penkala. "Especially this guy," he said, nodding toward MacKenzie.

All three returned to campus as celebrities after completing their philanthropic ride to raise money for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a motor neuron disease that took the life of their friend, Kalan Morinaka, who also attended Willamette.

"Everybody knows why we did it," Randall said, "they just want to hear stories."

Boy, do they have stories, from San Diego to Miami, and everywhere in between.

The terrain often was challenging. They traveled over mountains, through deserts, around swamps and on beaches.

They became experts on roadkill and the different stages of decomposition. They learned that many states don't clean up critters fatally struck by or ridden over by vehicles, and that some states have more than others.

"Louisiana had the highest per capita," Dean said.

The weather often was intolerable. They rode in rain, snow, hail and lightning, and at one point, a tornado touched down nearby.

They often woke up to rain dripping on their faces and ice inside their tent on nights they camped out, which was about a third of the time. The mold buildup in the tent bothered their sinuses.

The traffic often was unbearable. They were swerved at, accelerated at, honked at, yelled at, and cussed out by passing vehicles almost every day.

They had several close calls, including one on Interstate 10 near the Arizona-New Mexico border. Dean, riding last in single-file line, didn't see the large orange drum along the shoulder in a construction zone when he swerved, narrowly missed it and a truck in oncoming traffic.

"I was on the rumble strip when the semi went by," Dean said. "That was when we really started talking about using hand signals."

Their Kona Sutra touring bikes held up fairly well, although they did have to splurge and buy heavy-duty, reinforced rims for their rear tires.

They each wound up spending about $700 of their own money on the trip, including their flight home.

But they will tell you that every obstacle and every penny was well worth it. They raised more than $18,000 in memory of Morinaka and spread some of their friend's ashes in the Atlantic Ocean after they reached Miami.

They would do it all over again for Morinaka, they said, but they admit they are glad to be home.

"You really appreciate the simple things," Dean said, "your own bed, a computer, a shower, real clothes."

They miss some things, such as eating Honey Buns and the thrill of the adventure.

"Not knowing where I'm going to end up or what I'm going to see," Randall said.

The trio will be featured in the Spring 2007 issue of The Record, a quarterly publication of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. All three were members of Willamette's SAE chapter, as was Morinaka.

"It's a good story about recent alumni doing something good," said Brandon Weghorst, the director of communications for SAE headquarters in Evanston, Ill. He will be coming to Salem soon to interview them.

In the meantime, Dean, MacKenzie and Randall have work to do on their résumés and plans to make for the future.

MacKenzie is looking into job opportunities in real estate, and Randall wants to be a paramedic. Dean is headed to an as yet undecided graduate school. He has been accepted at the University of Washington and the University of Colorado but is holding out hope for the University of California at Berkeley.

The cross-country ride cemented the bond that these friends, teammates and fraternity brothers already had. They risked it all when they decided to spend virtually every minute of every day together for seven weeks.

"I think we survived the trip friendships-intact," MacKenzie said.

They even talk of someday doing another ride together, perhaps a route on the East Coast.

"It's a really good way to see the country," Dean said.

"You notice so much more on a bike," MacKenzie said. "If we had driven, we probably wouldn't be saying West Texas is beautiful."

clynn@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6710
By the numbers

The cross-country bike trip by Alex MacKenzie, Wes Randall and Kevin Dean began Jan. 10 in San Diego and ended Feb. 26 in Miami. Here is the trip by the numbers:



2 television interviews



15 nights camping



30-some flat tires



47 pounds lost



48 days on the road



110 miles covered in one day



210 photos taken



700 dollars each out-of-pocket



3,185 miles pedaled



18,630 dollars raised