MARATHON – Injured military veterans and their families pedaled across the Seven Mile Bridge and sections of the Florida Keys Overseas Highway Friday during the Wounded Warrior Project’s Florida Keys Soldier Ride cycling event.
Some 40 military participants, many pedaling adaptive bicycles to accommodate their combat injuries, enjoyed the expansive Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico views from the iconic Seven Mile Bridge, the longest of the 42 bridges along the Overseas Highway.
During Friday’s ride, they departed the Marathon Fire Station to cheers from flag-waving supporters, then pedaled across the bridge that stretches nearly 7 miles over open water, ending at Veterans Memorial Beach.
Joel Eriksson
The Keys Soldier Ride continues Saturday to Key West, where warriors will be joined by community members for an island ride with stops at historic Key West military sites. Sunday, the group is scheduled to interact with dolphins at Marathon’s Dolphin Research Center.
Soldier Ride is organized annually by the Wounded Warrior Project to raise public awareness and support for the needs of severely injured members of the military. The ride builds healthy social connections that help combat mental and physical service-related challenges, improving stress, anxiety and depression. Funds raised help develop peer-mentoring programs, foster veterans’ independence and arrange needed transport between home and a rehabilitation hospital.
