He's Off! Marist Teacher Begins 1,004 Mile Bike Ride

Caption: The old teacher is off! Owen Glennon starts his 1,004 journey by bike from the Marist Retreat Center in Esopus, NY, to Chicago.

Marist High School teacher Owen Glennon pushed off Sunday morning on his 1,004 mile bike ride from Esopus, NY, to Chicago.

Mr. Glennon pushed off around 9:30 a.m. Sunday after a breakfast prepared by Br. Owen (no relation) at the Marist Brothers Retreat Center in Esopus. Before he hopped on his bike,Trek Madonne 5.5, the brothers held a prayer service blessing his journey.

Wife, Carlin, is following him by car, hauling his backup and other supplies.

On Sunday, he pedaled 85 miles from Esopus to Port Jervis, NY, through a cold rain. He and Carlin are spending the night at the Parish of Immaculate Conception.

An exposure to a bat almost canceled the long-planned ride, forcing the teacher to head to a local hospital to begin the rabies vaccine protocol. In addition to peddling the back roads of New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, Mr. Glennon will be stopping at a few hospitals along the way for rabies shots.

Mr. Glennon, an avid, long-distance cyclist, is using the ride to commemorate his fortieth year as a math teacher at Marist, and to raise money for the Catholic co-ed high school’s endowment fund.

The high school hopes to raise $40,000 -- a thousand for each year Mr. Glennon has taught at the school -- and has raised half that amount.

Marist will welcome him back to campus on Sunday, July 12. Details will be posted online and on Marist’s Facebook page and Twitter account as the day nears.

“Anything that helps Marist and its students is worth the effort,” Mr. Glennon told Patch via email.

Read about the first day of Mr. Glennon’s cycling adventure on his blog.

Be part of Mr. Glennon’s cycling adventure by making a donation to Marist’s endowment fund.