West Bloomfield Man Finishes Bike Ride for Charity Tired and Happy

Scott Grodman finished a three-day, 300-mile bicycle trek from Chicago Saturday evening at , as a fundraiser for diabetes research.

Grodman was greeted by dozens of family and friends after the ride filled with hot weather and country roads, accompanied by his children Jared and Adam, and wife Karyn Grodman, helping out along the way. 

"I feel great. Yesterday was tough because it was very long and hot. But today was great, people were texting me all day as we got closer here and it was a lot of fun to be a part of," calmly said Grodman, 50, of West Bloomfield, who celebrated his birthday on the path.

Family and friends kept in touch with Patch during the ride, snapping action photos throughout the trek and updating people on Grodman's location. Karyn drove Jared and Adam, but Scott was not accompanied by another bicyclist for most of the trip.

Grodman's first day took him from Chicago's south side through Indiana and into New Buffalo, MI. The next day was most arduous, he said, riding through humidity and Niles, Dowagiac, Three Rivers, into Marshall, MI, where he called it quits after more than 100 miles, a personal record.

Scott was accompanied by family, friends and coworkers during portions of Saturday's ride.

"Today I feel great, mostly because we rode the last 20-30 miles and we’re happy with how we did," said Adam, 16, a student at Walled Lake Northern who suffers from diabetes along with his brother, Jared, 19. 

"It feels great because we did it together," Scott said. "As long as I can do it, I'll do it — I suffered three days, they suffered their entire life."

Grodman has organized fun runs and been a part of the American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure, but has never biked 100 miles in a day solo. This year's event on his milestone birthday also carries with it a special significance regarding his own personal health moving into later years, Grodman said.

"I don't need gifts. I want to see a cure," Grodman said. "You’ve got 300 million that need a cure. It’s fantastic, good we have the support out here and it’s something I’ve got to do." 

Since its inception in 1999, The Grodman Cure Foundation has raised more than $700,000 for diabetes research at Children’s Hospital of Michigan and University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. 

For more information or to donate, visit grodman300.org.