Prolific Pedaling
By Thomas Gallant
Have you ever been in a situation and thought that if you could get through it, you could accomplish just about anything? That it was the single most difficult thing you have ever done, something that you’d be impressed by seeing repeated by one of your friends? Moments like these are different for everybody as they can either lead to inspiration or pure exhaustion. Kayak for a Cause is kind of like that, two guys got challenged to do something, did it, and it turned in to a big annual charity event where thousands of people have since followed suit.
As a rower, I’ve come across plenty of determined people willing to do something that most people wouldn’t consider. Whether it be the 25k bridge to bridge race on the Hudson River, where the challenge is more related to keeping your boat afloat than rowing the actual distance, to my friend Paul Ridley that rowed solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 2009. Up until yesterday, Paul may have been the single most insane endurance athlete I’d met.
Since then, this event has grown from a few maverick guys to more than 200 people crossing Long Island Sound in kayaks each summer. Further, the organization raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities, and culminates in a great beach party after the event. 
