Trail Ride 2006 is an event that is put together to raise money for spinal cord injury research.(click here for more information)
Trail Ride 2006 started on 8/26/06 at Beck Lake forest preserve in Glenview IL. On day one of the Trail Ride the weather was nothing near perfect. Cloudy skies and scattered showers threatened to post pone the event.
Extreme Chairing advertised and tried finding people in power chairs that were up for the 40 mile adventure but seemed to find only one person that was up for the challenge. That one person was John J2 Mryczko who showed up suited and packed for the long ride.

J2 set out on the Des Plaines River trail at 12:00pm. He ran into the usual opsticals of rocks and fallen branches but nothing out of the ordinary. Forty five minutes and 4.5 miles into the trail ride J2's power chair started to act up. He was between the starting point and check point number one when he started to have problems. The problem was that one of the motors on the power chair was not pulling to its full potential, which made the chair pull aggressively to one side. Not ready to give up, J2 waited 20 minutes to let the motor cool down. As he waited impatiently, he said “My chairs old, it’s going to be eight years since I've had it this January, and she's been through a lot.” After letting his chair rest he decided to get back on the trail. 

Continuing on up the trail towards check point number two, J2 ran into the scattered showers he was dreading.With no real choice and no competition behind him he decided to let the showers pass while waiting under the Deerfield road overpass. After another 20 minute delay, he was on his way again only to be once again met by the rain 10 minutes later. After thinking it over and not seeing any end to the days scattered showers, the Trail Ride was stopped at Riverside blvd and would continue the following day.

On day two the Trail Ride continued at Riverside blvd at 1:00pm. Pumped up and determined, John J2 Mryczko showed up once again to complete the 40 mile trail ride. He set out on his way and was ready to go as far as his battered power chair would take him. Day two was going without problems until 2 hours and 45 minutes and 15.5 miles into the trail at check point number four. J2’s batteries on his power chair completely drained out. Without extra battery packs and no power supply for the chair, day two was over and the Trail Ride would again be continued another day. Disappointed, J2 said “I don’t know what happened. I really thought I would make it to the Grand Ave finish.”

With day two finished and 23 miles of the Trail Ride completed, J2 is not calling it quits. He will continue and complete the trail from check point number four on Sunday September 2nd starting at 1:00pm.

Extreme Chairing challenges and asks others who are interested in participating in the last leg of the event to come join J2 at Independence Grove forest preserve on September 2nd at 12:00pm.
Please check back for final Trail Ride 2006 results on September 6th.