The Dempsey Challenge (October 13 and 14 this year) raises funds for the Dempsey Center for Cancer, Hope and Healing. The bike race covers the western Maine countryside, raises thousands of dollars, and engages cyclists and runners from the entire nation. Paralympic handcyclist and 2012 gold medal winner Matt Updike of Denver, Colorado, will share his inspirational story in “Moving on with Matt Updike.” The free presentation will take place Thursday, October 11 at 6 p.m. at The Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing, 29 Lowell Street, Lewiston.
Updike was injured in an automobile accident in 1997 which left him paralyzed from the chest down. An avid skier and cyclist prior to the accident, Updike made his way back into his two passions and began professional handcycling in 2000. He will share his inspirational story of how he was able to overcome difficult challenges.
“I am honored to be invited to participate in the Dempsey Challenge,” said Updike. “Having to overcome a huge adversity in my own life when I was paralyzed, while certainly not the same, I feel I can relate to someone receiving the diagnosis of cancer. And having two close friends pass at an early age because of the disease recently, I want to support the fight against it in any way I can.”
Updike earned a bronze medal at the 2002 IPC Cycling World Championships in Germany and has been a regular on the US National team for the past decade. In 2005, He broke the 24-hour distance world record, handcycling over 287 miles through the Dutch countryside. He will join eight other professional cyclists participating in the fourth annual Dempsey Challenge on Oct. 13-14 in Lewiston.
Updike competed in his first Paralympic Games in Beijing, China in 2008. In 2011 he took first place at the U.S. Paralympics Road Cycling National Championships, Augusta, Ga. and earned a silver medal at the Parapan American Games, Guadalajara, Mexico. He most recently won a gold medal in the mixed-team relay for hand cycling at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. He is sponsored by Hincapie Sportswear and currently works as a mortgage banker for Universal Lending Corp. in Denver. As a volunteer at Craig Hospital, Updike helps kids get started in Paralympic cycling.
Additional presenters include Dr. Michael Regan, a spinal surgeon from Central Maine Orthopaedics and the Orthopaedic Institute of Central Maine; and Cindy Dubois, President of Central Maine Adaptive Sports.
This event is free and open to the public; those wishing to attend can register by calling the Dempsey Center at (207) 795-8250 or at www.dempseycenter.org/register where you can also register for the Dempsey challenge.