Update:
He did it. Steve Rhoades completed the 61-mile course “By Sea, By Land, ” around Bainbridge Island yesterday.
“The paddle was rough,” Rhoades said after finishing the goal of circling the island on paddle board and then completing the Chilly Hilly route on bicycle. “It was just a long day.”
He embarked on the ambitious venture to bring awareness to Housing Resources Board’s mission of strengthening the community through affordable housing options.
He completed the paddle around the island in 6 hours, 55 minutes and cycled the Chilly Hilly route in 2 hours, 25 minutes.
He said well-wishers stationed at the Treehouse Cafe and Island Fitness helped him make it to the end.
“I knew it was over when I saw them,” he said.
From the Review, July 1, 2011:
When Steve Rhoades had trouble finding an affordable place on the island to live, he talked with the folks at Housing Resources Board to get possible leads.
He applied for HRB’s HomeShare program that matches islanders who have room to spare with those seeking affordable rent options. Grateful for the affordable place it found for him adjacent to the Grand Forest, Rhoades looked for a way to give back.
“I don’t have a lot of money,” he said. “But I do have time. I do have energy.”
He will contribute those two assets July 5 with an outrageous 61-mile athletic feat, By Sea, By Land, to help raise awareness for HRB.
“This is the only way to get anybody’s attention,” he said over lemonade at the Treehouse Cafe.
He won’t get much attention at 5 a.m. July 5 when he launches his paddle board off Fay Bainbridge Park’s beach. Most islanders will be asleep or wrestling with the snooze button instead of the elements.
He might get the attention of commuters on the 6:20 or the 7:05 a.m. ferries as he crosses Eagle Harbor on his way to circle the 28-mile perimeter of the island. Folks can cheer him on between 9 and 9:30 a.m. at the Point White Dock. He hopes to arrive back at Fay Bainbridge Park around 1 p.m. Then, after taking a shower and grabbing a bite to eat, he will don his roadgear for the 33-mile bicycle ride along the Chilly Hilly route. He expects to finish the course by 5 p.m. All in a day’s work.
His most visible appearance will be riding with HRB in the Fourth of July Parade.
A cycling and surfing coach, Rhoades has been training since January for the event, drawing on discipline honed in the Marine Corps.
“It’s all a mental game now,” he said.
A win-win
“Steve really symbolizes our mission,” said HRB’s Community Outreach and Development Director Wendy Johnson.
“The character of our island is made by hardworking, caring, give-back people like Steve.”
“He is a stakeholder and a major donor. Everybody has something to give, something of themselves to give to the community, whether that’s to HRB or KiDiMu or another organization. Whatever your passion is, give.”
HRB is harnessing the spectacle of Rhoade’s passion to raise awareness for its mission to preserve diversity through affordable housing options.
“Our values don’t have to be defined by how expensive our houses are, it can be driven by the different gifts of the community,” Johnson said.
Timed with the By Sea, By Land event, HRB will try to get attention and funding through a raffle drawing July 5 for an array of prizes, including a helicopter ride, membership to Island Fitness, a North Face Denali jacket, bike fitting service, and a $200 gift certificate for Harley-Davidson gear. For every $10 donated by July 5, HRB will enter the donor to win one of the prizes.
For more information about HRB, visit www.housingresourcesboard.org. To learn more about the event and to read Rhoades’ training blog, visit www.ahousinghero.org.
Just show up
Cheer on Steve Rhoades during his 61-mile trek around the island by sea and by land July 5.
For more information, including a map of Rhoades’ route, visit the HRB booth at the July 4 Street Fair or visit www.ahousinghero.org.
Here is a few estimates of viewing times/locations if you want to watch Rhoades’ progress:
