Alaska cyclist pedals to beat breast cancer

"We have done two-month-long bicycle rides in the past, however both the temperatures and the terrain were more forgiving," Fenn, who is with Alaska Podiatry Associates of Anchorage, said in a press release. "This ride will take us through extremes. We'll start at sea level, and cross the Continental Divide, with hills, valleys and a desert or two in between. The temperatures may range from 30 to over 100 degrees."

They are blogging as they go. The last entry was Thursday, their 24th day of pedaling, from Del Rio, Texas, where a severe thunderstorm was threatening to deliver hail the size of quarters.

The 3,160-mile trip that began April 19 has already taken Fenn and Harrision through the Arizona desert, over the mountains of New Mexico and into Texas.

The ride is in memory of Harrison's late wife and Fenn's mother, both of whom died of breast cancer. They are raising awareness and funds for breast cancer research in partnership with the American Institute for Cancer Research, a charity devoted to studying the role diet, nutrition, physical activity and body weight play in cancer prevention and survival.

"So park that car a little further from the entrance to the grocery store," Fenn said. "Take the stairs rather than the elevator if you can, but first and foremost: move. Move every moment of the day that you can. It is the immobility of our society that will ultimately do us the most harm."

Before long, Fenn and Harrison may relish a day with a little immobility. Thursday was a 62-mile push from Langtry to Del Rio, Texas, about the average length ride. It began at 7 a.m. when the temperature was 77 degrees and the humidity was pushing 90 percent.

"It is only us, the ever-diligent border patrol and the semi trucks, which give us a quick shower by providing us with a sprinkling of roadside water whenever they pass," Fenn noted in the couple's online journal.

At times, it seems they can't get enough water.

"The increasing heat, hills and humidity are difficult for me," Fenn wrote a day earlier. "We arrive in Langtry and immediately make a beeline to the general store. We quench our thirst: a liter of fluid for each of us, though we had been regularly hydrating and stopping in the shade."

Reach reporter Mike Campbell at mcampbell@adn.com or 257-4329.