r- i ' ; , , ' 1 - ;t r. ii '?! : r i ( '. v i- ' : ' ? t 5 EUGENE, OREGON to Chicago, Illinois bound runner, Mike Lyons, left and Bill Jacobs, Illinois, arrived in Vernal, Thursday. The 2,600 mile trip is being used to make people aware of the ' disease, Spina Bifida. a I ft . i t ; - ! . 4 f j W ?! V':v sli t ; 1 3 . . ' I, f . f ' ' ' ' ' .3 1). ; fip VERNIE HEENEY, number five, Ross Construction, stomps on !( third base as the ball sails high above Diane Workman's mitt. ' LyosiSf dsrts through ferrasil Eugene, Oregon to Chicago, Illinois runner, Mike Lyons of Chicago darted in Vernal, Thursday at 4 p.m. as he headed to Illinois in a 2,600 mile run to raise funds and make the public aware of the disease, Spina Bifida. Lyons left the Roosevelt rest area, Thursday morning at 6 a.m. and arrived at the Vernal Junior High, Thursday afternoon. The Chicago runner completed 29.8 miles on Thursday. Lyons remarked, "I feel good. I would like to shoot for 35 miles. The last four or five miles to the rest area in Vernal was the hardest part. The run from Roosevelt to Vernal wasn't really bad. Everyone has been so friendly. People waved at me and trucks and cars honked. People usually give me plenty of room. I haven't had one bad experience yet. The desert in Nevada wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Now I can sweat. I couldn't sweat on the desert because the dry heat would evaporate it off. I'm finding myself getting stronger. I thought I would hit a peak and get weaker." The run is being staged for the Spina Bifida Association of America. Spina Bifida is a major birth defect and one of the least understood. An estimated one in 500 are born every year in the United States with this crippling, sometimes fatal, condition. Sometimes referred to as "open spine," Spina Bifida is a congenital birth defect which damages the spine and nervous system. The most serious type is myelomeningocele. The vertebrae of the spine and the spinal cord are not formed properly and early surgery is required. The long-term effects frequently include weakness or paralysis of the legs and problems with bowel and bladder control. Those wishing to make donations should contact the Spina Bifida Association of America at 343 South Deardon, Suite 319, Chicago, Illinois, 60604. When asked to comment on his diet, Lyons said, "I have an excellent diet. I eat cheese, yogurt, fruit, chicken, turkey, fish, but no red meat because it is hard to digest. I don't eat anything, except for grain bars, until later in the evening. I drink a couple of quarts of electrolyte replacement, which gives me sugar, salt, vitamins and minerals. Theonly meal is at 6 to 7 p.m. The meal is high in carbohydrates such as spaghetti and pancakes. I'm in bed by 10 p.m. and I start running at 6 a.m. in the morning." The running trip began in Eugene,' Oregon on June 6. Other members of ; the group are Bill Jacob of Sycamore,'' Illinois and John Benas of Chicago.'10 Jacob runs 800 to 1,000 miles and also drives the van. Benas also drives the van, rides a bike along with the runner, Lyons, and handles the public relation work. Jacob, Benas and Lyons traveled from Eugene to Reedsport, Oregon and then to Crescent City, California. The group went from Crescent City to San Francisco and Sacramento and then to Reno, Nevada. Lyons began running from Walnut Creek. California on June 26. The group then traveled from Reno to Ely, Nevada and then from Ely to Provo, Utah. After the group hit Provo they darted through the Strawberry Reservoir area, Fruitland, Duchesne, Roosevelt and Vernal. The run will continue along the Highway High-way 40 area through Steamboat Springs and Denver. The group will dart through Nebraska, fowa and Illinois. They hope to reach Chicago by early September. Benas and Lyons are graduates of Northern Illinois University, and Jacob, also, is attending the university. Benas said, "Lvons has been eoing pretty strong, but he gets pretty hungry and he can't eat until supper. Mike starts with a ten mile run at 6 a.m., which usually takes him two hours. He stops for an hour break and then he runs five-mile shots. We have an hour break after he reaches 20 miles. We have hpen Hnjng this seven days a week at 30 miles a day. We were in Roosevelt on July 25." "We will probably increase our day to 35 or 40 miles once we are passed Denver. It's downhill to Chicago after that. We want to make people aware of Spina Bifida and raise money. We donated some of our own money to go across the nation. The van was donated . to help by a man from Illinois," added Benas.