December 2021 — M2CC Newsletter

WWW.M2CC.US Monthly Newsletter | 25
Florida Veteran Runs 26.2
Miles, Bikes 100 Miles and
Raises $12,000 for Vets in
One Day
DESTIN, Fla. (Tribune News
Service) — For the second year
in a row, Destin resident and
Army veteran Geoff Speyrer
completed a grueling 24-hour
physical challenge to raise
awareness and money for veteran
suicide prevention.
about giving back hope to these
men and women who suffered."
Speyrer credits sponsors,
supporters, fellow athletes from
the 1st Phorm community and
runners from the Crop Dusters
and Destin running groups who
joined him with helping make
the event a success.
"This wasn't a me thing," said
Speyrer. "This isn't about me;
we had people coming in from
the Midwest, the East Coast, the
West Coast."
Collectively, all those efforts so
far have raised about $12,000
for Healing Paws for Warriors, a
local veteran-founded nonprofit
that provides trained service dogs
to veterans who are faced with
post-traumatic stress, traumatic
brain injury or military sexual
trauma.
"We're unable to run this program
unless we get community support
through donations, fundraisers,
etc., so we're very thankful for
this opportunity," said Healing
Paws for Warriors co-founder
Sheila Hale.
"Geoff is an example of a
veteran giving back, pulling the
community together and making
a difference," Hale said.
Despite battling winds that added
about three hours to the bicycle
ride, Speyrer said he was happy
with how this year's challenge
went and plans to make next
year's even bigger.
"This is just the beginning," he
said. "It's just going to get bigger
and bigger."
Want to contribute? The
fundraiser for Healing Paws for
Warriors will continue through
the end of the month. Visit the
Facebook page Geoff's SET 22
fundraiser for Healing Paws for
Warriors Inc.
The event is called SET 22, with
the SET standing for strength,
endurance, and training. Speyrer
said the 22 refers to the number
of veterans who take their lives
every day.
Beginning at midnight Friday,
Speyrer and fellow cyclists Sean
Kamm and Kathleen Carrier
made four loops by bike around
Destin and Scenic Highway 98
for a total of 100 miles. About
noon Saturday, he started off on
foot with about a dozen other
runners to make one more loop
around Destin, racking up a
26.2-mile marathon.
To cap off his day, Speyrer
then took to the track at Destin
Elementary School about 9 p.m.,
where he was joined by 25 to 30
people who cheered him on in the
dark as he flipped a 200-pound
tractor tire around the track
for total of 1 mile. He finished
the challenge about 10:45 p.m.
Saturday.
"People ask, 'Why do you put
yourself through this,' " said
Speyrer. "I know what it's like to
feel like there's no hope. It's all
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