Paul Pelland
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Paul Pelland (also known as longhaulpaul) is a long distance motorcyclist who has set many world records while living with multiple sclerosis.[1] He lives in Londonderry, New Hampshire.[2][3]
He finished his first Iron Butt Rally – an 11-day 11,000-mile motorcycle endurance event known as "The World's Toughest Motorcycle Competition" – on a Ural motorcycle in 2001. He suffered many mechanical issues along the way and had to make new pushrods out of drill bits he found at a hardware store.[4][5]
In 2003,[1] before receiving his diagnosis, Pelland was a top ten finisher of the Iron Butt Rally.[6] As he continued through the latter portion of this rally, he found that he could not remember the name of a fellow rider at an accident scene. He also found his hands numb and suffered from memory and cognitive issues.[1] He learned shortly after this experience that these were symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Pelland retired from competition after the 2003 Iron Butt Rally and gave up riding for nearly a decade.
In 2012, Pelland made his diagnosis public and began documenting a million mile journey, "Chasing the Cure for Multiple Sclerosis". He travels the country as an inspirational speaker sharing his story and encouraging others to continue following their passions regardless of what obstacles are in their path.
On September 29, 2012, Pelland, sponsored by National Powersports, set a world record by riding 1,000 miles in under 24 hours on 100 different motorcycles. This was his first fundraiser for the National MS Society.[7]
Pelland said he will continue to ride until he meets his one million mile goal. He calls this "Longhaulpaul's Endless Road Tour",[8] and is to raise funds for Multiple Sclerosis.
In May 2014, Pelland rode a Piaggio scooter c. 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from Boston to Chicago in 16.5 hours, wearing a blue tuxedo over an Aerostich motorcycle riding suit. At this point he had logged 55,000 miles of his one-million-mile goal for MS awareness and fundraising.[9]
As of January 2018, Pelland has ridden 300,000 miles for MS while speaking at over 250 events across the United States while raising almost $100,000 for the National MS Society.[10]
On November 6, 2016 Pelland set his second world record by being the first motorcyclist to document riding 28 hours in the same day. By traveling west across four time zones on the day Daylight Savings Time ends, he rode 2000 miles and 28 hours all on the same calendar day. He raised $6000 for MS with this ride.[11][12][13][14][15]
Curechaser, Paul's first Yamaha Super Tenere is on display at Barber Motorsports Museum in Birmingham Alabama after setting the record and completing 172,000 miles of the million mile journey. [16]
References
- ^ a b c "One Man with MS One Million Miles Long Haul Paul". Ability. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
- ^ "Motorcyclist with MS Begins One Million Mile Journey for MS Awareness". Yahoo! news. Aug 7, 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
- ^ META (2018-03-26), META: Accidental Legend, retrieved 2018-04-10
- ^ "Long Haul Paul's True Life Story", Law Abiding Bikers (Podcast), Ryan Urlacher, April 7, 2014, Episode 39
- ^ "Accidental Legend". META. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
- ^ 2003 rally results, Iron Butt Rally, retrieved 2015-11-11
- ^ "Road Recalculated". Paul Pellands Endless Road Tour. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Longhaulpaul's Endless Road Tour Fundraising Page". Longhaulpaul Set His First World Record and Continues The Endless Road Tour to Raise Awareness and Funds For MS Through His Motorcycle Adventures!. National MS Society. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
- ^ NH Man with MS Completes Extreme Scooter Ride, National MS Society Greater New England chapter, May 3, 2014
- ^ "Mile Post 195,000 - paul pelland's Endless Road Tour". paul pelland's Endless Road Tour. 2016-10-01. Retrieved 2016-10-29.
- ^ Pelland, Paul. "Me and My Motorcycle". Motorcyclist Online. Motorcyclist Magazine. Retrieved 10 Oct 2017.
- ^ Pelland, Paul. "Motorcyclist Sets World Record by Riding 28hrs in One Day! [press release]". PRLog. Retrieved 2017-04-23.
- ^ Pelland, Paul (2016-12-22). "ABILITY Magazine - Challenges, Choices and Chances". Ability Magazine. Retrieved 2017-04-23.
- ^ "Accidental Legend". META. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
- ^ "Paul Pelland's 2013 Yamaha Super Ténéré". Motorcyclist. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
- ^ "Barber Motorsports Museum - Longhaulpaul- An Epic Adventure". Barber Motorsorts Social Media. 2017-11-13. Retrieved 2018-04-10.