Jack Thompson is a world-record endurance athlete from Australia, currently making his way through the Inland Northwest. It’s a part of his 60-day cycling journey through all 48 mainland US states. SPR’s Ember Braun chats with Thompson about the story behind his ride and how mental health is at the center of his mission.
Ember Braun: You’re going on a 10,000+ mile journey by bike, so I’d imagine that’s not the easiest ride. Why are you doing this?
Jack Thompson: I’ve built a career out of doing these long distance cycling projects. My background is – I spent time in rehabilitation with substance abuse issues in my early 20s. I use the long distance cycling challenges as a way of connecting with people, sharing my story and also learning about how other people use the bike to overcome their own challenges in life, but also to explore what community means to people. I thought, now in America, what a great time to come and explore the country and see how different communities and the different states band together in times of hardship.
EB: And why come over here and do this?
JT: I’m from Australia. I think it’s interesting because if I open the Australian news, a lot of the news there is dominated by American politics and the sort of clickbait kind of extremes that don’t necessarily reflect what America really is. I was intrigued to come and explore America and actually see it all and form my own opinion and share what I’ve seen with others to try and help shape a more accurate representation of what America is.
EB: Why highlight physical activity and how does that intersect with mental health?
JT: I think for a lot of people physical activity is a fantastic way to regulate their mental health. I’m a big advocate for using exercise as a form of therapy, not that I’m a doctor or a psychologist. But I like to use the term meditation in motion. When I’m on a bike, and I’m exercising, I find it’s one of the few times that my mind is truly still. I think highlighting that to others and sharing that mindset with others has been interesting.
But at the same time, what’s also been interesting is learning that not everybody enjoys exercise. There’s other communities – there’s other activities that people use to regulate their mental health when times are tough. It’s been interesting learning about that, what works for others. Because, like I said, the bike was great for me, but the bike's not for everyone.
EB: Yeah, throughout this whole time, talking to so many people, what do you think is the biggest thing that you've learned about how people cope or what people should do if they're struggling?
JT: What I've learned, and what I've taken from the interactions that I've had along the way, is I think everybody at the moment is struggling with their own challenges.
And not just in America, it's around the world, everybody has their own hardships. But what's been really powerful is that what most people speak to is the power of having a community or having a group of people around them that they can communicate with when times are tough.
What’s really been interesting is learning about those different communities – from the homeless community, to the art community, the music community, to the cycling community to, you know, kids at school.
EB: And a little bit more about what your journey has been like. What does every day look like for you?
JT: They're long days. We're on the bike typically from about 6 a.m. to 4:35 p.m. So I'm riding roughly 175 miles a day, 10 hours of ride time, burning roughly eight to 10,000 calories each day. So we've met with hundreds and thousands of people along the route.
EB: Is there anything else that you wanted to add or anything that you think I missed?
JT: One thing that's worth saying is I think politics aside, you know, life preferences aside, race, gender – I think everybody deep down wants the same thing in life. They want safety, security. They want to be loved. They want to be valued.
I think what this ride's taught me is the power of listening and just being open to differing opinions. Some of the discussions I've had, I wouldn't necessarily agree with their viewpoint, but I think the beauty of being a human being is being able to understand that everybody's different. Everybody was brought up differently.
And I think we need to, as a human race, just spend the time getting to know one another and getting to understand that our backgrounds shape who we are. And it's not necessarily a right or wrong way to do something. I think we just need to be more compassionate with one another.
Ultra-endurance cyclist Jack Thompson will be riding through Medical Lake Waterfront Park around 7 a.m. on Friday. He’ll end his journey in Santa Cruz, California.
