When we last checked in with Garden of Life sponsored athlete George Throop he was entering the state of Alabama on his journey to Washington DC. The miles have taken him through Alabama, Georgia and into South Carolina as well as into the Autumn season.
Thanks to the kindness of people he meets along the way, George gets a warm bed to sleep in as well as a meal with his new friends. While powered by Raw Protein, Raw Meal and Garden of Life Whole Foods bars, nothing can replace sitting down to a meal with new friends and wonderful conversation!
Back on the road, many of the roads George must travel have absolutely no shoulder space-- and roadside grass definitely is not always cut. George says, "If it were just my two feet, that would be one thing. The fact that I must push well over a hundred pounds of gear from A to B creates an entirely new challenge of such stretches."
Only the human-powered traffic stops to chat. Speeding through the area, stops to say hello. George recalls meeting a bicyclist named Aaron along his route. "Through answering his questions about the Walk, I noticed the "Paralympics" inscription on his bicycle jersey. I confess my ignorance to him, to which he very politely understands and explains to me that he has cerebral palsy. The Special Olympics are of course for athletes with intellectual disabilities."
The Paralympics include those with with physical disabilities as well. "As fit and strong as he is," George said, "I never would have guessed he'd be anything short of a normal Olympic competitor. That said, I did notice the effects of the cerebral palsy when he went to mount his bike again. Aaron's a sharp, strong-hearted man, and I'm VERY inspired by him!"
Learn more about George, see/track his route, read his blog and see where he is on his journey on his website http://www.enjoythewalk.org and you can connect with him on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/georgethroop