When restaurant manager Ben Davis lost a co-worker and a fellow triathlon runner to Lou Gehrig's Disease, he channeled his grief into a 2,175-mile run of the Appalachian Trail, spanning 60 days, to raise awareness of the disease and money for research.
Davis passed through Hanover last Thursday, and met with Dartmouth students who planned to join him on a part of his run.
Emily Koepsell '09, Peter Shellito '09, Cody Doolan '10 and biology graduate student Tom Morrison, all members of the Dartmouth Endurance Racing Team, attempted to run with Davis for the few miles of the Appalachian Trail that pass through Hanover, but missed Davis on the trail.
"I thought it would be a great team event and since I'm a leukemia survivor I understand where he is coming from," Koepsell, the club's president, said.
The team wanted the opportunity to explore Dartmouth's connection with the Appalachian Trail and meet a fellow endurance runner, members of the group said.
"All the through-hikers I've met are really eccentric," Shellito said, referring to hikers on the Appalachian Trail. "I want to see what his personality is like for someone who wants to do something like that."
Although members of the Dartmouth Endurance Racing Team did not get to run with Davis, Koepsell and Doolan met with Davis and Rick Cheever, Davis' head crew chief and pacer, at the Dirt Cowboy to discuss his mission and his run.
"They mentioned that after they finish the run they may try to set up a nonprofit organization that has athletes compete in endurance events while raising money for ALS," Koepsell said.
Davis dedicates each day of his run, which began almost a month ago, to a different person afflicted with Lou Gehrig's Disease, also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and hopes to raise $1 million.
Davis left Katahdin, Maine, on Sept. 21 to begin his trek. Any money raised on his team's web site will go directly to the ALS Society, which will use the donations for purchasing medical equipment to aid ALS victims.
"The goal is to raise funds for ALS," Davis said. "If we don't raise that on the trail, we'll have to do something different. But I definitely want to see it through."
Davis' team also hopes to raise awareness for ALS along the trail.
"We want everyone to be a part of this," Camila Jones, Davis' event coordinator, said. "We want to widen our region and get people involved."
More and more people are becoming a part of the movement that Davis created, Jones said. Davis' mission has attracted nine major sponsors, many of which have contributed trail-running equipment and helped maintain the team's web site.
On the trail, which Davis called his "obstacle course," Davis has already encountered bad weather, including snow and heavy rain. He remains steadfast, however, in his decision to complete the course, he said.
"So far, this has been very challenging, but it's very scenic and very humbling," Davis said. "It wasn't something I've ever done before."
ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that causes deterioration in the brain and spinal cord. Patients with ALS live an average of two to five years after being diagnosed, and there is no effective cure, according to the ALS Society.
"We're not fighting ALS, we're trying to learn from it," Davis said.
Davis hopes to complete his run at Springer Mountain, Ga. by the end of November.
