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    Marine cycles 240 miles on Marine Corps birthday

    Marine cycles 240 miles on Marine Corps birthday

    Photo By Sgt. Angelica Annastas | Chief Warrant Officer 3 William P. Tinney, ordnance officer, armory, Headquarters and...... read more read more

    MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES

    11.03.2015

    Story by Lance Cpl. Angelica Annastas 

    Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego   

    MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO - There are plenty of ways people give back to those who have helped them in the past. One Marine in particular decided to support the organization that helped him exercise his joy in bike riding.

    Chief Warrant Officer 3 William P. Tinney, ordnance officer, armory, Headquarters and Service Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, cycled 240 miles on Nov. 10, in honor of the 240th Marine Corps birthday and in support of the Semper Fi Fund.

    Tinney has always been fit, and running was his favorite pastime. For as long as he remembers, running 8-14 miles a day was the usual bout. However, that all changed after he suffered a spinal disc injury and his doctor recommended finding an exercise that puts less stress on his body.

    “I like endurance, and so my brother-in-law got me into bike riding,” said Tinney. “After I got into it, my wife suggested I ride for a cause.”

    The biker enthusiast began searching different organizations that helped service members and decided to support the Semper Fi Fund, which provides lifetime support to all U.S. Armed Forces members who are ill or who have been critically injured.

    “I went more toward the Semper Fi Fund because you don’t really hear that much about it like you do with [other organizations],” said Tinney. “(The Semper Fi Fund) didn’t really advertise all that much. I looked more into it and through them I became a community athlete.”

    Community athletes participate and compete in athletic events that support the Semper Fi Fund. Tinney became a part of the organization and was given the opportunity to ride his bike for longer distances and prepare himself for upcoming events.

    “About six percent of the funds go toward (administration) and advertisement fees, but the other 94 percent goes to service members,” said Tinney. “I’ve seen firsthand what they do for others.”

    The Semper Fi Fund provides assistance such as adaptive housing support, transportation support and specialized and adaptive equipment support.

    “They revamped someone’s house, pool and backyard so he could get around easier,” said Tinney. “They even modified his camper truck so he could drive.”

    Tinney is now able to mix the two things he is most passionate about: the Semper Fi Fund and bike riding. Riding the 240 miles wasn’t the first ride for the organization.

    “[The Semper Fi Fund] provided transportation and my own cycling team suit during the Blossom Trail Ride,” said Tinney. “That one went for 60 miles.”

    To work himself up to riding 240 miles, Tinney didn’t start small. He quickly pushed himself from riding 60 to 200 miles within a month, and he learned from the challenges he faced from riding in the past.

    Tinney rode for 100 miles once, and he discovered that he was unprepared. He came across a lot of mountain climbing, which led to muscle cramps, and he wasn’t fueling himself or eating properly.
    “When I go out and do something, I go the extreme,” said Tinney. “My wife’s not a big fan of that.”

    To prevent such complications during the 240-mile bike ride, Tinney sought the assistance of a nutritionist from Marine Corps Community Services.

    “I worked with my nutritionist and she helped me develop a tracking system for nutrition,” said Tinney. “I have to watch my fuel levels and make sure I’m hydrating and eating during the entire thing.”

    To help him with this, Sgt. Jeffrey R. Trumbo, floor chief, armory, HQSVCBN, MCRD San Diego, and Cpl. Jeremy S. Elston, armorer, armory, HQSVCBN, MCRD San Diego, assist Tinney when he goes for the long rides on his bike.

    “I [recruited] two of my Marines from the [office], and they stick with me throughout the rides,” said Tinney. “I like to have them there especially when it’s dark outside because I’m just one guy on a bike, so it can be dangerous.”

    Tinney was hooked up to a radio earpiece with a microphone so he could communicate with his Marines while riding. His Marines passed him food and water when he needed it, especially when he would forget to refuel himself.

    “Sometimes I’m so into the zone that I forget to eat or something, and they’re there to remind of things like that,” said Tinney. “I’ve also found that they are part of my motivation as well. I wouldn’t want to quit in front of them; it’s important to lead by example. So they’re there to gut check me, and I’m honored to have them by my side.”

    Tinney began a little after midnight on Nov. 10. He left Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms and headed south to pass Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and end at the Commanding General’s building at MCRD San Diego.

    “There was an app I used that mapped out the route I took, turn by turn,” said Tinney. “We shot to complete it within 16 hours. When I calculated it, I gave myself a few extra hours of time, just in case we ran into anything on the way.”

    Tinney and his team came across a few complications with technology and communication during the ride.

    “When we were riding through Camp Pendleton (our devices) lost signal at some points, so we had a few issues with the GPS,” said Tinney. “Communication was difficult sometimes because my sweat got into the radios, too.”

    Traffic was another challenge the team faced, Trumbo and Elston had to maneuver through traffic to keep track of Tinney.

    “We had to leapfrog through traffic sometimes during the day,” said Trumbo. “I think we were all a little nervous because of the drivers and whatnot.”

    Two cyclists with the Ride 2 Recovery group, a veteran’s program in Miramar, joined Tinney in the last bit of the ride.

    “They helped out a lot, too,” said Tinney. “Near the end I started to lose focus a little bit and I wanted to just be done with it. They helped me get through the last stretch.”

    Finishing with motivation, Tinney completed the 240 miles in almost exactly 15 hours.

    “The way we planned it just worked out perfectly in the end,” said Tinney. “My bike held up (well), surprisingly. Team Semper Fi at Miramar sent me puncture-resistant tires the night before and so we put them on that morning. My bike had no problems at all during the ride.”

    Tinney plans to give all the funds earned from the event to the Semper Fi Fund. The organization has done so much for Tinney already, and he’s grateful to be a part of it.

    “I’m doing this as a way to say, ‘You’ve done enough,’” said Tinney. “I wanted to be able to give back to them.”

    That won’t be the last ride for Tinney, and his team of two plans on sticking by him for the next rides.

    “The more I ride, the more it gives me to work and strategize with for future events,” said Tinney. “I liked the challenge and I’m excited for whatever comes next.”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 11.03.2015
    Date Posted: 11.23.2015 21:33
    Story ID: 182699
    Location: MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, CA, US

    Web Views: 121
    Downloads: 0

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