Cyclist rides across nation to Rehoboth Beach in honor of former lifeguard

Riding across the nation on a bicycle is no easy thing to do, especially in the summer.

But that is exactly what Mark Williams is doing — from San Francisco to Rehoboth Beach.

Williams was born in Georgetown, and he is a professor of economics at Boston University. He also was a member of the Rehoboth Beach Patrol from 1980 to 1984.

He began his ride June 4 in San Francisco and plans on ending his ride on July 22 at Rehoboth Beach Patrol Headquarters  — all for charity and in the name of a lost friend, Tom Coveleski.

Coveleski was a member of the Rehoboth Beach Patrol starting in 1971 and serving for 36 years. The beloved Sussex Consortium teacher died of cancer in 2015.

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Williams served as a Rehoboth Beach lifeguard with Coveleski. Coveleski was an avid biker, Williams said, and his passion inspired Williams to do his journey.

For the charity, Williams picked Bikes Not Bombs, an organization that teaches kids how to fix bikes and use them for economic advantages, which Williams said serves as an economic stepping stone.

"I love riding, and I wanted to do a fundraiser, so I set up a fundraising page," Williams said. "I wanted to acknowledge TC."

With his bike ride, Williams said he is also hoping to raise awareness about the Sussex Consortium's Autism Program, the school at which Coveleski worked as a physical education teacher.

Vivian Bush, the principal at the Sussex Consortium, said the ride was a proper way to honor Coveleski.

"Tom was an advocate for physical activity," she said. "It didn't matter what you did as long as you moved. Even into the last week of his life, if he was up he was riding his bike. He hated being stationary."

Even picking San Francisco for the starting location was inspired by Coveleski, Williams added, because of Coveleski's love for the San Francisco Giants.

And the fundraising for Bikes Not Bombs has gone well, William said, whose original fundraising goal was $10,000.

"I already broke that," he said. "Then I moved it to $15,000, and now I'm already at $18,000."

But just because the fundraising part is going well doesn't mean the bike ride has been easy for Williams.

He ran track at the University of Delaware, but said the ride is a whole other level of athletic challenge.  

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"I'm 53, so it's not like I just got off the UD track team," he said. "It's a physical and mental thing."

Williams is averaging 75 miles per day and rides for about eight hours. He has had to deal with temperatures of more than 100 degrees in Utah, and he has to start his rides early in the day — at about 4 a.m. some days — to beat the heat.

He is not alone in his journey, though. Williams is accompanied by Mike Hill, who will be riding to Yorktown, Virginia, for Alzheimer's research.

"We are supporting each other," Williams said. "A trip like this you don't want to go all by yourself."

But having someone to ride with him on the trip doesn't mean the ride isn't any less grueling, Williams said.

The heat is abrasive and the shoulders on the sides of the road can be soft, meaning it is more difficult to pedal.

"I had a trucker who pushed me off the road and I fell over, but nothing happened," Williams said. "Making sure I have adequate water is a huge thing. We are burning 6,000 calories a day, and we need to treat food like fuel for our bodies."

But the trip has taught Williams a lot about America, he said.

The trek reminds Williams of the one taken by Forrest Gump when he ran across the nation, and Williams and Hill are taking a route called the Pony Express Route, which was taken by stage coaches and Wells Fargo wagons during the pioneer days.

The two have also seen kindness on the road, from riding through Indian reservations to biking along straight highways.

"A driver stopped and gave the us a gallon of water when we were in the desert," he said. "That's the type of kindness we are seeing."

On Twitter @hughesg19