Peter Halper got some much-needed rest when he stopped in Phoenix Tuesday while bicycling across the country to help find a cure for childhood cancer.
His mission started with his niece, Emery, who sadly, at just 3 years old died from neuroblastoma.
Halper says he never got a chance to meet his niece, but wanted to do something so that other families wouldn't have to feel what his family did on the day of Emery's funeral.
“No one is going to fix this for us,” he said.
So, Halper, an avid runner, decided he would lace up a pair of sneakers and run from California to Delaware to raise money and awareness for childhood cancer.
He ran 26 miles every day for six days with just one rest day. His 11-minute pace over the span of four months raised more than $160,000.
“I did that 114 times consecutively,” said Halper.
Now the 55-year-old Wisconsin resident is at it again, this time on a bicycle, riding cross country multiple times.
His route took him from Oregon to Delaware, then back west to San Diego, and finally to Savannah, Georgia. Depending on terrain, the carpenter by trade rides anywhere from 60 to 120 miles a day.
When he feels like he wants to quit, he remembers the families he rides for. So, he shares a story of a young cancer patient every day on social media.
“I’m an added voice, and they seem to welcome that,” he said.
The ride is longer this go-around, so the goal is bigger. He hopes to raise $3 million.
Halper says he’s further along in the ride than his fundraising goal, so if you see him heading east, send some encouragement and maybe an energy bar.
”I am a psychopath for the moms and kids I’m doing this for. I love them and I want to help them,” he said.