Jack and Corrine Wlody of Howard Beach recently took up the bicycling challenge of a lifetime.
The Wlodys joined the National Bike Challenge, a nationwide event bringing together thousands of current cyclists, and encouraging new riders to get on their bikes from May 1 through Sept. 30. Cyclists log their miles onto a website using GPS apps and are then ranked based on their results.
Jack and Corrine each rode a total of 2,467.6 miles in September alone, and rode an average of 67 miles per day for 73 consecutive days. They also each rode five Centuries, a ride of 100+ miles, during the last week of the week of the challenge, logging a total of 706.5 miles in that week.
During the May 1 through Sept. 30 period, the fitness couple cycled a combined total of 11,131 miles, the equivalent of traveling more than halfway around the world.
The Wlodys are no strangers to the world of fitness. They are highly respected fitness consultants and were honored at the 23rd annual International Chiropractors Association (ICA) National Symposium on Natural Fitness with the ICA Legacy Award in March and got to meet Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“We are passionate about teaching people that no matter what age you are, what health issues you may have had, or what circumstances you might find yourself in, you can accomplish anything with the right mindset,” the Wlodys said in an email. “All you need is a goal, a plan, and then to pursue it relentlessly. We live what we teach and we were determined to share it.”
During the National Bike Challenge the Wlodys were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 out of 1,017 local riders and were ranked No. 12 and No. 13 nationally out of over 92,000 riders. Their community of Howard Beach was ranked No. 5 in the local communities’ leader board, with Jack and Corrine being the only two riders for the area.
“When we saw that Howard Beach was No. 5 locally on the communities’ leader board and realized that we were the only riders from there participating in the challenge we were excited,” the Wlodys said. “It gave us a tremendous sense of pride and even more purpose.”
As fitness professionals, the Wlodys have a system that has helped transform the lives of their clients for the last 20 years. They do not take any supplements or energy drinks. They are committed to their whole food based meal plan.
Even with all the physical attributes needed to compete in the National Bike Challenge, it was more than just strength and endurance that got the Wlodys through.
“At a certain point it is all mental. To wake up every day and think about how many miles you’re going to ride today takes major determination,” they said. “We rode through the heat, humidity, winds, rain, morning, afternoon and night. We had seven flat tires, and one crash that threw us both off our bikes while avoiding a rider coming into our lane. Although slightly injured, we got back on our bikes and rode 68 more miles that day.”
Besides competing in the National Bike Challenge, the Wlodys volunteer with Bike New York, a nonprofit organization that promotes cycling as a practical, sustainable and healthy means of transportation and recreation.
The Wlodys also saw an opportunity to ride for charity, raising $2,400 for their ride in the TD Five Boro Bike Tour to donate to Bike New York, as well as raising an additional $2,150 to support a friend who is suffering from mitochondrial disease.
