8 a.m. CST – Dora and I went to the Black Hawk Christian Church. We listened to Pastor Kelly Byrd who spoke on the subject of Father’s Day and about how women need to be strong for their husbands. It is the women who help provide the strength for fathers. It was a good message with all of the demands (physically, mentally, and emotionally) that are on my wife, Dora. The message reminded me to always be thankful for her love and support and to never take it for granted. I enjoy visiting new churches. As a church speaker I get to speak to various congregations and get new spiritual inspiration each time I speak. I was even invited to speak on Robert Schuller’s “Hour of Power”. It was a great honor and provided a lot of inspiration. As a motivational speaker I always enjoy my speaking engagements but when I present as a church speaker it’s even more special. The inspirational faith I see in the parishioners is always uplifting. I hope everyone out there can find their own inspiration and motivation to live better lives and be happy. Just make a promise to improve a little every day and life will get brighter and brighter.
All my best,
Kevin Saunders
Paralympic wheelchair athlete
6:00 a.m. CST – My day started in Yoder, IN. The weather was in the high 70′s and it was partly cloudy. When we crossed Hwy 225, my support team called the Bluffton, IN police and newspaper so we could do an interview and get police support as we drove through. It was especially inspirational because the police officer, Greg Steele, had personally biked from Indianapolis to Washington, DC to benefit the fallen police officers of 9/11 so he could relate to what I was currently undertaking. In fact, Officer Steele helped pace me at speeds between 15 to 20 mph through Bluffton. That’s a good speed on a regular bike and I was using my arms in a wheelchair! He led me by the police department and mayor’s office where I met Capt. Tammy Schaffer and Mayor Ted Ellis. I received a police patch from the Bluffton PD and a key to the city from Mayor Ted Ellis. Receiving recognition for the Tour’s mission always gets me pumped with adrenaline. It reminds me of the excitement I felt competing as a champion wheelchair athlete in the Paralympics. Thanks to the adrenaline and the fast draft Officer Steele gave me out of town, I was able to wheel 48 miles today. This gave me an average of over 10 mph. Over four of those hours were spent in my chair, which is a very difficult thing to do. I did notice that after four hours of pushing, my neck and right shoulder started to get sore. I also noticed when I stay in my racer that long pushing, it is necessary to consume plenty of water and Gatorade to replenish my electrolytes and prevent dehydration. However hard it gets I know I have to keep pushing and never give up! It is important though to be prepared. I have to stay prepared with my medical supplies, my hydration, and be physically prepared for challenges as well. In life we need to be prepared for whatever comes at us. As a motivational coach and inspirational speaker I travel a lot and have to overcome adversity that often is unexpected. For me, even a simple airline flight can be trouble. You can’t let adversity keep you down or stop you from achieving your goals. You just have to stay mentally and physically tough to conquer life’s challenges. So dig deep, find a little spiritual inspiration and you’ll be ready for anything.
I pushed approximately 10 miles from downtown to the interstate with a police motorcycle escort we averaged about 17 to 20 mph with the Police leading the way. I went to city Hall and received a proclamation from the Mayor on Friday a couple days before and now it’s time to move on to the next city.
Total miles pushed: 66Defiance, OH. It took almost 4 hours, where we met with the Defiance Crescent Newspaper at around 1P.M. and spoke with Jenny briefly who took our picture. It should be interesting to see the differences in pictures from the start of this trip to the end. I’ve got a long way to go and will have to overcome adversity and tough times I know. Keeping my weight up and getting proper nutrition will be critical. As a motivational coach for Kansas State Football I motivated the team to never give up and that there’s always a way. I firmly believe in those principles and whatever the hardship I will muscle through. After all, it’s only a few thousand miles, I’ll just take the revolutions of my wheels one mile at a time. That’s how you get things done. Just do the best you can and try to improve a little bit each day and the big picture will take care of itself.
On this day day during the tour we were honored to meet city council members at Toledo City Hall. Councilman Michael Ashford presented me with an official glass on behalf of Mayor Jack Ford. I was also presented with a Proclamation from City Council representative Peter Gerken. Once again, the great folks from the media were on hand: Channel 11 WTLO (CBS), Channel 24 WNWO (NBC) and the FOX affiliate. The Toledo Blade was also at the event.
I started with pushing my wheelchair from South Rockford, Mi to Monroe, MI 22.5 miles.I had an interview with WNIC Radio, where we discussed the tour and my fitness initiatives for the nation, then we immediately left for a newspaper interview. Not since my paralympic and wheelchair racing days had I done so much media. I was glad to get the media attention. I was able to use the skills I learned as a motivational speaker to clearly get my point across. America has an illness, obesity and poor living. We have too many channels on the television and not enough feet hitting the floor getting active. We are couch potatoes and computer zombies.
Dora and I rode with Bob Layne to ABC news in Detroit, named the fattest city in America at the time. Every year it seems there is a new “fattest city”. My own city of Houston held the dubious honor at one time. I hope my tour will help transform America and we will be done with fattest cities. I yearn for “most fit cities” and “healthiest living” cities. It CAN happen. As a motivational speaker and paralympic athlete I’ve seen dramatic change and miraculous dreams come true. All it takes is determination, inspirational faith, a never give up attitude and the will to make it so.