THE PURSUIT: A 926-MILE RIDE RAISING MONEY FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS
For the last six years, Jenn Walsh has been working night shifts in a Boston ICU. This means she became a nurse at the worst possible time. Just months after starting her healthcare career, the COVID-19 pandemic completely reshaped the nature of healthcare work.
After personally experiencing the mental struggles that many healthcare workers face, she has decided to get on her Quintana Roo PRFive and ride 926 miles, self-supported, from Madawaska, Maine, to Provincetown, at the very tip of Cape Cod. She’s calling it “The Pursuit.” It’s a ride with a purpose, and it starts this September. We spoke with Jenn to learn more about The Pursuit and how you can support healthcare workers by following along.
Why She's Riding 926 Miles
The mission of The Pursuit is to raise money and awareness for the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation, a non-profit started in memory of an emergency room physician who died by suicide during the height of COVID in Manhattan. The foundation works to "transform the systems" that shape healthcare workers' mental health and well-being by advocating for policies (like the landmark Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act) and pushing hospitals and licensing boards to remove stigmatizing mental health questions from credentialing applications, opening a safer path to care for healthcare workers nationwide.
For Jenn, this cause isn't abstract. "It's lived experience," she said. New nurses are expected to last three to four years. On average, doctors are leaving the profession by age 40. She has watched coworkers struggle under the weight of a healthcare system that she describes as “being at a breaking point.”
In her personal life, Jenn has been able to find some sense of relief through training for and racing IRONMANs. When she started thinking about how she could support the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation, raising awareness through a fundraiser connected to a challenging endurance ride felt like a natural answer.
"I think a lot of people who aren't in healthcare don't really understand what really goes on inside the hospital," she says. “Bridging that gap and helping people understand, and helping people have empathy and compassion is the goal.”
The route for The Pursuit is on Jenn's home turf. She has cycled from Boston to Cape Cod's tip before, but to make the route as long and hard as possible, the route starts farther north in Madawaska, Maine, right on the Canadian border. She'll cross through the Appalachian foothills before the terrain opens up along the coast toward Provincetown. Her mom will be following along in the car as her only support. Her goal: finish in three days, but to account for September weather, shortening daylight, and whatever the road throws at her, she's building in room for the route to take up to five days.
The timing isn't accidental, either. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. This is a dedicated time to raise awareness, share resources, and promote healing, and Jenn is challenging herself by doing The Pursuit in the middle of one of the busiest race stretches of her season. She’ll start her ride immediately after racing the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Nice, and before she’s scheduled to race IRONMAN Cozumel in November.
Every Mile Carries Someone
Jenn has built out a dedicated site for The Pursuit, where every one of the 926 miles between Madawaska and Provincetown can be claimed by a supporter — a way to make the distance personal before she's even rolled out. The site also tracks the ride live once it starts, providing her position, plus the weather and elevation in real-time, so followers can ride along in what she's calling "ambient mode" from wherever they are.
Jenn explained that The Pursuit is grounded in a belief that people are capable of becoming far beyond who they think they are. This is a theme that she believes people can apply everywhere, to athletics, your career, and your character. But it’s especially poignant for the healthcare workers she's hoping to spotlight. Alongside the ride, she's building a Pursuit Ride Substack where she plans to collect and share anonymous stories from healthcare workers around the country, giving voice to experiences that too often go unspoken.
Jenn will be sharing updates before, during, and after the ride on her personal Instagram, and tracking live progress at The Pursuit site. You can claim a mile or donate directly via GoFundMe, with all proceeds supporting the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation.
