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Get Your Guts in Gear

When: Aug. 7-9 Where: 210-mile course begins in Edmonds and winds through Snohomish, Island and Skagit counties Online: www.ibdride.org Contact: Karen Harris, 425-879-4756; Lois Fink, 206-612-9825

CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, News editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

Father vows to bike event in son's place

Get Your Guts in Gear aims to raise awareness of Crohn's disease and related conditions

By Lauren Thompson
For the Enterprise

For another year, Daniel Weatherhogg has wanted to ride. And for another year, doctors say it may not be possible, due to Crohn's disease.

"It'll be medically difficult to make the ride happen," he said.

Even if he can't ride, the 26-year-old said his diagnosis won't stop him from volunteering at Seattle's fourth annual Get Your Guts in Gear (GYGIG) bike ride, which aims to raise awareness and money for research of Crohn's disease and similar conditions. The three-day ride begins Aug. 7 in Edmonds.

His diagnosis won't stop all Weatherhoggs from gearing up for the 210-mile ride, either. When Daniel's father heard his son would probably have to sit out this year, he vowed to ride GYGIG in his place.

Daniel Weatherhogg, who lives in Burien and works at radio station KQMV 92.5 in Bellevue, has lived in Shoreline, Lynnwood and Everett and describes himself as a "hometown boy." This is not his first year volunteering for GYGIG.

"They're stuck with me now. They can't shake me," said Weatherhogg, who was diagnosed with Crohn's at 21.

By volunteering, Weatherhogg is keen to support the medical community that he hopes will eventually make it possible for him to gear up alongside his father.

"One day," he said, "I'll ride this ride."

The main goal of the GYGIG bike ride is to raise awareness and funds for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, chronic diseases that cause inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract.

As many as 1 million Americans have Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, which mainly affects young adults between the ages of 15 and 35, according to the Crohn's Disease & Colitis Foundation of America.

Daniel Weatherhogg's father plans to take his place in the race.

"One of the things you hate is to not be able to fix things wrong with your kids. The only thing I can do (for Daniel's disease) is raise awareness and money," said Matthew Weatherhogg, 47, a salesman at the Lynnwood Mercedes-Benz dealership.

Matthew Weatherhogg, a casual biker, is now training for what will be his longest ride to date. "At the moment, it's a little dicey," he said. "It's a big undertaking, but I'm sure I'll do it."

Bikers come from all over the country to participate in the ride, which goes through 18 cities and three counties in three days. Bikers will average 70 miles a day, with two overnight camping stops. The route starts and ends in Edmonds, with bikers heading to Whidbey Island and across Deception Pass before winding back down through Skagit County.

GYGIG is the only ride of its kind, holding similar events in New York and the Midwest. About 80 percent of funds raised through registration, donations and sponsorships go to support inflammatory bowel disease organizations and patient advocacy groups, said Karen Harris, coordinator of the Seattle event.

But the ride is for more than just raising money and awareness, Harris said. GYGIG also builds a national community for people affected Crohn's and colitis.

"It's a community for advice or nutrition info. It's building relationships. It's a community where you're more than just a number," she said.

To ensure the community feel, GYGIG Seattle only accepts 85 riders. More than 40 have registered so far, though applications are still being accepted.

For Daniel Weatherhogg, community is what it's all about. "Finding these people is the biggest support I've ever found," he said. "Living with chronic diseases puts a lot of strain on people others can't understand. It's an absolute blessing to have these people around."