CU Boulder junior Lauren Gray is pedaling for a purpose this summer. She is biking coast to coast, a journey of about 4,500 miles, for the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.
Gray, who lives in Baltimore, Maryland, joked that she can now say she rode her bike to school. She spent the past year raising more than $6,000, which was donated to scholarships for cancer survivors and to help patients in treatment through rough times. Gray is studying molecular and cellular developmental biology and believes she is growing stronger every leg of the 70-day trek.
Riding across the country is very physically taxing, but it’s an emotional rollercoaster because you spend all day on your bike, and, because it is for cancer, we are all here for a certain reason. The most difficult part is hearing everyone’s stories and hearing the hurt that everyone has experienced because cancer has impacted their lives.”
Gray, who lost a coach to cancer four years ago, and whose family member completed this ride 12 years ago, says the ride is “close to home” for her.
“The greatest success is just making it this far. I didn’t think I would make it this far, but here I am in Colorado. I am stronger than I thought I was.”
