MS 150 Recap

– The Night Before -

I had assumed that evening was only going to be the final chance for riders to pickup their numbers for the the MS150 and that this meant that there would only be a few stragglers to help since they had had so many chances to pick everything up before the final night. Well, that couldn’t have been further from the truth.

The event (and that’s it was) was actually the rally point for the launch of the ride the next day. There were riders, vendors and volunteers all packed the small space. It felt like a festival!

I joined a sizable group of volunteers at the registration tables, signing people in, giving them their numbers and directing them to the portion of the hall that had their event t-shirts and yes, the previously mentioned green goody bags.

All of my interactions with the riders were pretty short but often meaningful. As I typed in a few numbers, the obvious small talk began with my asking them if this was their first MS150 ride. Very few of them said that it was. In fact, I’d say the mean was seven years. There were teams, buddies, spouses, parents and their children.

What quickly really hit me was that almost every single person had some sort of a personal story connection to the mission of the MS Society.

Before that night, I had this idea in the back of my head that the MS150 was probably just a cool ride for a charity to most of the riders. Again, I had no idea how wrong I was.

One story will never be forgotten.

A man mentioned to me that he know someone who lives with MS and that that person had told them that his riding to support the Society meant a lot to him. With a smile, I raised my hand and said, “Well, that makes two of us.” He gave me a quizzical look and asked if I lived with MS. As I signed him in, I told him that I did and that I wanted to personally thank him for his support of the Society.

After walking away, 30 seconds later he returned and looked like he had something to say. “Since this means a lot to me I wanted share something with you. Every year I ride in the name of a person who lives with MS. It makes it real for me. I buy a new jersey just for this ride and I ask the person I’m riding for to sign it. I wear it both days of the 150 and after the ride is over, I sign the jersey myself and I give back to them and thank them for being my inspiration.”

I told him that as a person who lives with MS, his gesture means so much more than any of the dollars that he raised combined. Of course it is a poignant moment on so many levels. The obvious aside, it was cool to hear his story because I always wondered if the people participating in huge events like the MS150 are really interested in raising money for the MS Society, or is it just a big social event for them.

Though that was certainly a moment that will stay with me for of the rest of my life, he was not alone. Almost every rider that I had signed up that evening knew exactly what the MS society was and why their weekend ride meant so much to so many.

So what I thought was going to be a busy evening of typing in numbers and directing traffic became so much more. People who work, volunteer and participate in MS Society events are all very cool, fun people.

– Halfway there -

On day two of the ride, my wife and I decided to join the gang at the “Bubble Bistro” at the ride’s halfway point in La Grange. Honestly, I had no idea what to expect.

By the description that I had heard, I expected it to be mostly a social event for people with MS. (see quote in the previous entry”) Add to that, Klaire from the Society mentioned that, while it would probably not be a true volunteering opportunity for me, she though that I might be able to find a few chances at least be helpful.

Indeed…

We showed up just as riders were beginning to stream in and found our way to the Bistro, which was between the riders’ entry gate and the huge maze of team tents.

The activity there was anything but sedentary, in fact, the place was hopping!

Whatever the original concept of the Bistro was, it was immediately clear to me that it was quite different then what I had envisioned.

There were at least 15 other volunteers there prepping and handing out water, oranges, Gatorade and other snacks to the riders arrived and walked their bikes to their team tents.

As we handed stuff to them, we thanked them for riding and supporting the MS Society and they in turn, they were thanking us for volunteering for making the event possible.

Most of these interactions lasted no more than five seconds and were surprisingly positive. Of course, how could they not be? They had just ridden 77 miles and we had fresh fruit cold water in our hands but much like the night before, almost everyone knew exactly why they were there and what it all meant to others.

After a couple of hours at the Bistro, we decided to take a break and check out the rest of the grounds. I was blown away at the size and number of tents. I mean I had been told how big the event was, but some these spaces were quite the operations.

Of courser they would have to be… there were 13,000 riders.

Add to that, on top of all the volunteers that were working for the MS Society, there were also large numbers of volunteers and supporters for the individual teams. It was a true sight to see.

After our walk and rest break, we jumped back in at the Bistro for a couple more hours of handing out snacks to the riders.

We concluded the day being fed a dinner by the Society for our efforts. I think that the dinner was an option offered to the riders and others who were not a part of one the teams. Meaning, the food was healthy, it was huge and it was full of carbs.

Though we didn’t do the ride, after four plus hours of volunteering, it hit the spot.

After passing out snacks an appreciation for over 5 hours, we decided to call it a day.

As we headed out of the area, we drove along the roads that the riders came in on and passed the tail end of the riders and support vans. They had been on their bikes for almost half a day and they were the last to arrive in La Grange. If we had known that the last riders were so close, we would have stayed to make sure that we could personally welcomed and thanked them for hanging in there.

– Lessons learned -

People do really care about giving.

Ok, so that is exactly the kind of hokey statement that scares people away from volunteering because they might not want to be a part of a group people that have nothing better to do with their time. In this case, I found that nothing could be further from the truth.

At both parts of the MS150 that I volunteered at, I also met a wide range of working professionals donating their time and expertise.

In the beginning of all of this, I was hoping to make my volunteering in to a big thing for my 12×12 project and meet other young professionals such as myself who live with MS who might not been able to ride but still wanted to offer their support to the riders. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.

That said, it was great to be in a space that, as a person “who looks so good,” where I could be open about living with MS without worrying about people misunderstanding what it is and isn’t. Such openness is not always easy, no matter who or where you are.

(These experiences can, if but just one moment in time, feel normal. Something that sometimes a challenge to come for those us who live with MS.)

In the end, being a volunteer is just being a person who freely offers to take part in an enterprise or undertake a task. All one has to do is have a heart and show up. Despite all the creative ideas that I had for the weekend, despite their not really happening, I am very happy to report that it actually took very little effort to still find meaningful ways to pitch in and make a difference.