High Post Hoops
Fansided

Pedal for Pat: Lady Vol basketball Hall of Famer to ride 1,098 miles this fall

By Erica Ayala

31 Mar 1996: Coach Pat Summitt of Tennessee and Michelle Marciniak watch the final seconds of the sencond half as the Lady Volunteers defeat Georgia in the championship game of the NCAA Women''s Final Four played at Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North C
31 Mar 1996: Coach Pat Summitt of Tennessee and Michelle Marciniak watch the final seconds of the sencond half as the Lady Volunteers defeat Georgia in the championship game of the NCAA Women''s Final Four played at Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North C /
facebooktwitterreddit

The University of Tennessee Lady Vol basketball Hall of Famer Michelle Brooke-Marciniak announced in early August that she is joining the Pedal for Pat fundraising October 17-28, 2017, to benefit The Pat Summitt Foundation. She is one of eight riders pedaling 1,098 miles from Knoxville, TN to Key West, FL. One for each of Summitt’s career wins.

Brooke-Marciniak is serving as co-chair of an exciting new fundraiser to battle for Pat Summitt and all families dealing with Alzheimer’s Disease. “It s a collaborative effort to raise awareness about a terrible disease that ended up killing someone who was very close to me,” said Brooke-Marciniak in a phone interview with The Summitt earlier this month. “I’m highly motivated to give as much of myself to this as possible.” 

Covering logistics

More from High Post Hoops

A lot goes into planning a fundraiser event that spans over one thousand miles in 12 days. Brooke-Marciniak and co-chair Josh Crisp must recruit riders, map out routes, secure medical and mechanical staff, book sleep accommodations for stops and much more. Additionally, each is responsible for raising a minimum of $10,000 for the event.

Brooke-Marciniak originally planned to raise $25,000, “I want to go above and beyond and I wanna push people to try to make the donation, said the co-founder of Sheex, “this is gonna be mainstream and we’re gonna come back stronger and heavier next year and really try to learn as much as we can from this experience this year and do it again and again and then again and make it into something very special.”  A woman of her word, her GoFundMe campaign has raised $24,923 and counting.  The page also has a new fundraising goal of $50,000.

In addition to the event logistics, Brooke-Marciniak is officially in training. The cyclists aim to ride 100 miles per day over the 12-day trip.  Michelle has experience cycling in Olympic distance triathlons, but nothing quite as intense as this. The team must work up to 200 miles per week to be in good shape for the ride in October. “I talked to my trainer today … he said, ‘you need to work up to 250 miles/week,”’ said Brooke-Marciniak. Apparently, that is a light ride, “I have a long way to go to think that 40 miles is a light ride, but I’m in. I’m all in!”  

A unique opportunity

From co-chair to a cyclist, and now event sponsor, the Tennessee alumna is definitely all in. Her company Sheex will sponsor a VR to accompany the caravan and equip riders with performance bedding for the optimal sleep over the rigorous 1,000-mile ride.Above everything personal and professional, the joy and the drive come from the impact Pedal for Pat will have for families navigating a world impacted by Alzheimer’s and dementia-related diseases.

“It’s not about me, it’s about Pat, it’s about a cause, it’s about people who have gone through this and they’re hurting too. It gives me chills just to think about the fact that we can do this and we’re gonna continue to do it years on end.”

Sustaining the legacy

The Pat Summitt Foundation lives on to continue her fight against Alzheimer’s and dementia.   Pedal for Pat is one of many engaging events to benefit Pat’s legacy beyond basketball.

KNOXVILLE, TN – JULY 14: Lady Vol basketball players from throughout the years gather for a team photo before the Pat Summitt Celebration of Life on July 14, 2016 at the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee. Summitt died June 28 at the age of 64, five years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. (Photo by Donald Page/Tennessee Athletics – Pool/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN – JULY 14: Lady Vol basketball players from throughout the years gather for a team photo before the Pat Summitt Celebration of Life on July 14, 2016 at the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee. Summitt died June 28 at the age of 64, five years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. (Photo by Donald Page/Tennessee Athletics – Pool/Getty Images) /

“Not only is this going to Pat’s foundation, but Pat’s foundation serves the Pat Summitt Alzheimer’s Clinic at the University of Tennessee Medical Center,”  said Debby Jennings, Director of Communications & Media for Sheex, Inc.

She continued, “UT Medical Center serves so many populations from a five-state area where they may not have access to great care for Alzheimer and dementia patients and diseases associated with it … this money and this awareness, not only for the disease but for Pat’s clinic is gonna help so many people.” 

In 2016, Alzheimer’s was the sixth leading cause of death in the United States according to the CDC. 

Former players offer their support

The Summitt spoke with Tamika Catchings, Glory Johnson, and Candace Parker about the importance of the fundraiser for continuing Pat’s legacy and her fight against Alzheimer’s.

For Catchings, Summitt’s legacy lives in her ability to forge a new path, “One thing that Pat was, was a trailblazer. If you think about, from the beginning what she was able to create with the Lady Vols and women’s basketball in general to where it is now.”

The former WNBA All-Star is proud of Brooke-Marciniak’s drive, but not surprised. “I think of the cool things she was able to do and the way that she was able to inspire each one of us every single day, that’s what continues to drive all of us in our own individual ventures.”  The event is now one of those cool ventures inspired by its namesake. 

Pedal for Pat is a continuation of the celebration of Summitt’s life, “she fought the battle and you know, some people don’t look at it as a win because she’s not here anymore, but she did win,” shared Dallas Wings forward Glory Johnson. “She wanted to change people’s lives and she did; it’s still going on.”

Her players now can pass along Summitt’s fight, whether to their teammates, their families or their community. “People are going to continue to carry her legacy and as much as we can, we’re gonna celebrate her every year,” said Johnson.

2016 WNBA Finals MVP Candace Parker agreed, “I hope [Pedal for Pat] brings a lot of attention to the cause and obviously keeps the legacy of my coach going on, said the Sparks center after a game against the New York Liberty. “She lost her fight, but with her legacy, I think it will help more than, and touch more than even she could have imagined.”

A message for the riders

We asked each Lady Vol we spoke to share a message to Michelle and the other cyclist.  Catchings replied, “In those moments where you feel like you want to give up, continue to look up and know not only God is looking down, but Pat’s up there, and maybe even giving them the icy stare when they wanna quit.”

Parker added, “I think that coach would be very proud of [them] taking the initiative to bring attention to the cause and mostly to help others.”

Catchings received a new bike for her birthday. We asked if she might make an appearance on the road, “I don’t know if they really want me to do all that … you never know. I might be able to get to a mile, I need to start training [laughs].”

Johnson responded, “if that’s the case, then I need to get a new bike too so I can keep up with Catch [laughs].”

For more information on Pedal for Pat and the Pat Summitt Clinic, visit the Pat Summitt Foundation at www.patsummitt.org.  Donations can be made to Michelle on her GoFundMe page, or through the Pat Summitt Foundation directly.

Home/Dallas Wings