This picture is at the end of the Pedal for the Planet Duathlon held on May 7, 2012. This race was a five kilometer run and twenty kilometer bike, followed by another five kilometer run at Presque Isle in Erie, Pennsylvania. This was the first year that I was involved in the Scholars in Service to Pennsylvania Program through Mercyhurst College. Another SISPA, Emily Monahan, and I directed the planning and preparation for race day. We even went to local high schools in the area and talked to the students and teachers about volunteering, participating and the many benefits of riding a bicycle. In this process we were able to get a team of teachers to participate in the Duathlon. They are seen in the picture, and they even won third place in the teams of three category! The others in the picture are either other placeholders or committee members who volunteered throughout the planning process. The race was so successful that the money raised was used for a local bike rack initiative in conjunction with the Erie Art Museum. This amount totaled over $3,000. In August, 2012, these racks will start to be made and implemented throughout the City of Erie. There will be twenty, locally made racks that hold two bikes or more. This race not only sparked interest in the community, but brought like minded people together to form a collaboration called the Erie Bike Coalition. This group is forming many plans for the upcoming years and hopes to successfully implement a bike to school safety program. The results of the Pedal for the Planet Duathlon reach much farther than the ones who received the medals because everyone in Erie will soon be able to park their bicycles on the real rewards. Bicycling is a great alternative and healthy activity for families. With more visible support in the City of Erie, the healthier and happier citizens will become!