2 area athletes to attempt one-day, 200-mile bike ride

Two Southeast Missouri athletes are ready to test their physical and mental limits with a 200-mile, one-day bicycle ride.

"You can do anything you desire if you set your mind to it," said Taylor Vaughan, one of bicyclists.

Vaughan, a nurse at Saint Francis Medical Center, and Delbert Marriott, manager of Ghisallo Running in Cape Girardeau, plan to push their regular workout a little further with a bicycle ride Sept. 26. The ride will take the two through parts of Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Sikeston, Charleston and East Prairie. The trek will end at Ghisallo Running in Cape Girardeau.

Vaughan recently participated in three half-iron distance races. They consisted of a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bicycle ride and 13.1-mile run.

However, it was several weeks ago that he approached Marriott, a former professional athlete, for advice on the 200-mile ride. Marriott discussed with Vaughan the various training programs and tips that he used during his professional career.

Marriott has some experience with a trip of this length, what he calls a "test of the limits." One such test came in a 212-mile bicycle ride.

"I originally just wanted to see what I could accomplish on the bicycle in one day. The ride was more mentally tough than physically," Marriott said. "Once I hit the point that my body wasn't going to hurt any worse, I had to force myself to keep going, knowing that my pain level would not increase."

As a self-described "extremist and exercise enthusiast," Vaughan, who rides for Cyclewerx racing team, immediately knew that he too wanted to attempt a 200-mile bicycle ride in one day. The two set a date and have been preparing themselves ever since.

In 2009, Vaughan participated in numerous running events. During a marathon in Memphis, Tenn., he fractured a metatarsal bone. The injury should have required surgery. However, against the advice of his physician, Vaughan opted to forgo surgery so to not interrupt his exercise regimen.

After the injury, Vaughan, who had been running 100 miles a week, decided to start cross-training to reduce injuries. In February he bought his first bicycle.

"I began riding more and more, swimming more and more, and running only twice a week," Vaughan said. "I slowly dropped the weight I had gained over the winter with my fractured foot."

Vaughan, who had weighed as much as 225 pounds, now weighs 182 pounds.

In June, Vaughan competed in the Kansas Ironman triathalon, only four months after buying his first bicycle and five months after beginning to swim. He finished in five hours and 26 minutes, 255th out of 3,000 competitors.

While his peers told him it was too soon to think about competing in a triathlon, Vaughan disagreed.

"Of course when people tell me I can't, it just makes me want to prove them wrong. I believe everyone has the potential to accomplish just about any goal they want if they set their mind to it," Vaughan said.

"I am doing it for myself but also to motivate others, that yes, you too can do crazy things that push the limits of your mental and physical toughness," he said.

lpresson@semissourian.com

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