Unsurmountable Distance

The author shares his incredible story of being both an athlete and an alcoholic. When we are faced with guilt and shame we must learn to forgive. That's taken Bob Olden over a decade in recovery to do.

"The first thing I did once I finally surrendered was to ride my bike. And I rode! It's taken me over a 100,000 miles to get a handle on it." In 2023, after a decade of being sober, Bob decided he wanted to do something big! He had two goals- set the bar as high as possible and for every mile he ran and he would ride ten! He ran 1500 miles and rode an astonishing 15,000 miles, with over 840,000 vertical feet of elevation gain! 245 runs and 316 rides!

"I had done over 10,000 miles with 600 miles of running, a few years prior, so beating that was my first objective. I knew if the goal became extrinsic I would become my own worst enemy. That thought process taught me patience and presence," Bob shares.

"What happened as a result of my 1110 hour journey changed me! I finally got the monkey off from my back, even though I hadn't drank in over ten years! That is a priceless feeling! Contains a wealth of photos from the Adirondacks.