Nearly a month ago, Oklahoma native Alisa Duncan set off on bicycle from Zihuatanejo, Gro., Mexico headed north.
On Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 30, more than 2,000 miles of pedaling later, she'll be rolling into Oklahoma City.
She's crossed eight Mexican states plus Texas and now she enters Oklahoma Sept. 27 after participating in the Autumn in Bonham Bicycle Rally in Bonham, TX.
She'll make three stops in eastern Oklahoma before rolling the last 50 miles from Prague to Oklahoma City Wednesday afternoon for an end of the trip celebration at Sauced in The Paseo.
The ride, however, is about more than the ride.
The journey is called Z to OKC and began Aug. 29. Since then, Alisa has traveled through the Mexican states of Guerrero, Mexico state, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Nueva León and Coahuila before crossing the border into Texas at Eagle Pass Sept. 19.
Through her sponsor organization Be The Change, a non-profit organization based in Oklahoma City, Alisa is selling miles online at
$25 each. The money raised will go to construct a shelter for abandoned senior adults in the Zihuatanejo area.
A group of Christians ministering in the local hospital realized the need for such a refuge after they met 70-year-old amputee and diabetic Don Gerardo and were frustrated in their efforts to find a permanent home for him after his family had abandoned him and the government had nothing to offer.
The small group of believers representing three countries - Mexico, the U.S. and Canada - eventually realized that they would have to do something about it after seeing other similar cases. They formed the Mexican non-profit organization Hablando Menos, Amando Mas (Speak Less, Love More) and drew up plans for a 26-bed refuge with a construction cost of $650,000 U.S.
After hearing about the project, Alisa, who lives and works as a missionary in Zihuatanejo, said she would ride her bike 2,000 miles to jump start the fundraising through the help of Be the Change. The non- profit's founder, Jonathan Roberts, is driving the sag wagon that accompanies Alisa.
The Z to OKC ride received nationwide attention in Mexico, featured on Televisa's national news program with Lolita Ayala. The ride was also featured on the Hora Cero (Zero Hour) television program out of Monterrey, N.L., in several newspapers and on local Zihuatanejo radio.
Alisa will arrive in Bonham Friday afternoon, Sept. 25, from Wichita Falls, a 130-plus-mile ride across northern Texas. She has zigagged her way through Mexico and Texas to accumulate the 2,000 miles she's trying to sell.
In the course of the trip she will have ridden more than 100 miles on six different days, and more than 90 on four other days. Her longest ride so far is from Matehuala, S.L.P. to Saltillo, Coah., 145 miles.
On Monday, Sept. 21, after stopping in Menard, TX, she had accumulated
1,479 miles.
Alisa is keeping a trip blog at www.ztookc.blogspot.com. More information about the Abandoned Senior Refuge and how it all began is available at www.bethechangeok.org. There you can also find out how to buy miles and support the cause.
For more information send an e-mail to Alisa Duncan at alisaduncan13@mac.com or call Jonathan's cell phone at 405-249-7109.
Alisa, a native of Crescent, Okla., and Jonathan, of Oklahoma City, are both graduates of Oklahoma State University. Alisa has lived and worked in Zihuatanejo at the Seminario Teologico Bautista del Sur for
12 years. Jonathan founded Be The Change in 2008.
Next stops after Menard:
Sept. 22 - Brownwood
Sept. 23 - Stephenville
Sept. 24 - Wichita Falls
Sept. 25 - Bonham
Sept. 26 - Autumn in Bonham
Sept. 27 - Tupelo, OK
Sept. 28 - Okmulgee, OK
Sept. 29 - Prague, OK
Sept. 30 - OKC