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39th annual Anchor House Ride for Runaways is ready to roll

 

Princeton University employee Jeff Knoll (r), a cyclist in the 39th annual Anchor House Ride for Runaways, loads cyclist Steve Preville’s bike on a truck headed for McHenry, Maryland on Thursday evening.

As a light rain drizzled on Thursday evening, the 146 cyclists participating in the Anchor House Ride for Runaways loaded their bikes on a truck headed for McHenry, Maryland for the start of the 39th annual ride. The cyclists and the 33 support crew members participating in the ride will gather at Arm & Hammer Park at 7 a.m. on Saturday with family members and supporters for a send-off celebration, and then board buses headed for Maryland at 8 a.m. The event is open to the public. These cyclists are used to rain and humidity this season. They have spent the last few months training for the ride, and this May happened to be the 9th wettest May in the history of the Garden State, according to the New Jersey State Climatologist. A few days of rain are also in the forecast for the 7-day, 500-mile Ride for Runaways, so the cyclists will be packing their rain gear. The riders will pedal an average of 75 miles a day over the week, making overnight stops in Pennsylvania in Somerset, Altoona, State College, Lewisburg, West Hazleton and Bethlehem before heading back to Hopewell and then the Quaker Bridge Mall in Lawrence for a welcome home celebration. Over the course of the week, the cyclists will climb more than 20,000 feet, riding up those Pennsylvania hills, rain or shine, to raise money for Anchor House, the Trenton-based shelter for runaway and abused children and teens that serves the greater Mercer County area. The ride is an important fundraiser for the charity. The money raised helps keep Anchor House’s doors open and enables the organization to offer other outreach programs. The 2016 ride raised more than $560,000. The cyclists and support crew members raise money by collecting pledges and online donations from friends, family and co-workers. Krystal Knapp is an embedded reporter/cyclist participating in the 39th annual Anchor House Ride for Runaways. For more information about the ride or to make a donation, visit AnchorHouseRide.org, where you can also view information on each participant and make a donation in a favorite cyclist’s name. 

One Comment

  1. Thanks for all the coverage of this great event. See you Saturday! Dan Keenan

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