CINCINNATI, Ohio—Biking across the entire state is no walk in the park. But for four men, they started that journey this week to bring awareness to suicide prevention.
What You Need To Know
- Four Ohio men are cycling across the state to raise awareness for suicide prevention
- Sam Woodward is one of those cyclists. He says some of his family and friends have been suicidal, making the ride even more meaningful
- The ride will start in Cincinnati and end in Cleveland. The journey will last five days and 350 miles
Sam Woodward has always enjoyed riding his bike through Cincinnati.
“I think I like the challenge, pushing my limits, seeing how far I can go,” Woodward said. “Seeing myself get better and those limits get farther and farther.”
But this week, he’s expanded his horizons, biking across the state from Cincinnati to Cleveland. That’s 350 miles in just five days.
“I tend to overlook any obstacles or potential challenges,” he said. “So right now I’m on cloud nine, ready to hit the road.”
Woodward and several other friends aren’t just doing this for fun either. They wanted to bring awareness to suicide prevention —something Woodward says has touched his life personally. He says several family friends have been suicidal, and he’ll be sure to think of them when the going gets tough.
“I’ll definitely be thinking of people who have suffered or are suffering,” Woodward said. “And just try to put myself somewhat in their shoes because I’ll be experiencing a little physical fatigue and tiredness. And just thinking about what they’re going through, I really think that that’s going to help me persevere and push on and hopefully that will speak to people who are struggling.”
On average, nearly five people die from suicide a day in Ohio. For Woodward, that’s five too many. He encourages others to find something they’re passionate about and make a difference.
“There’s going to be a million excuses to not do it, but you just got to overcome those,” he said. “You gotta commit to doing it. There will definitely be fruit and like in this case the opportunity opened up and now we’re doing a lot of good.”
