Keep going…keep going…you can do it…

These were the words echoing through 14-year-old Emily’s mind with every pedal on her 300-mile bike tour. She rose before dawn after sleeping on an air mattress on a high school gym floor. She was sweating through hilly terrain, panting as she cut through muggy Michigan summer air. And although she had never ridden such a great distance before, Emily knew that she – and 799 other riders – were pedaling for a purpose.

Keep going…keep going…you can do it…

Nine-year-old Jacob hears these words often, too. Especially on the toughest days of his treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He wished to have a rainbow swing set in his backyard so he could find some happiness between hospital visits. And even though he had never faced anything as tough as this disease before, he knew that 800 cyclists – some wearing bracelets bearing his name – were pedaling 300 miles for him.

The cyclists were riding in the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Michigan’s 21st annual Wish-A-Mile® bike tour to grant the wishes of kids like Jacob, who were diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions. They trained months for the three-day, 300-mile event while also raising $1.615 million – a new record and enough to bring joy to more than 200 wish kids in Michigan.

“It’s for the kids!” Derrick Stange, of Ypsilanti, Mich., yelled as he pedaled through the final leg of the route, which stretches between Traverse City and Chelsea. Stange has ridden this way many times, 21 to be exact. He is one of the tour’s founding riders. He and his buddies first pedaled 300 miles as a bet and donated the prize money to the Foundation.

First-time participant Emily joined the Wish-A-Mile ride this year after watching her parents, Lizabeth Kelly and Eldred Pickett, ride for the past two years. Her 8-year-old brother will take part in the family tradition when he’s old enough.

As Kelly tells it, the grueling nature of the ride almost ended her family’s tradition before it even started.

“On the first day of the ride two years ago, [Eldred and I] were ready to quit,” she said. “We were honestly looking for transportation back to Chelsea. But right then, we ran into the wish kid whose name was on Eldred’s bracelet, Trevor. And I walked up to this baby and said ‘Hi, Trevor,’ and his face just lit up. We knew then that we had to keep going. And every time it got tough during the rest of the race, Trevor would show up at just the right time.”

“It’s the most grueling thing you’ll ever enjoy,” Pickett added.

Emily’s family rode as members of the Compuware team, one of dozens of teams participating. Some have ridden together for years. Team Alex, one of the biggest and longest-standing teams, fielded 60 riders and raised almost $200,000. They’ve ridden the past 10 years in memory of Alex, a teenager who passed away in 1999 after her wish to create a cancer awareness TV commercial came true.

First-timers Team Nicholas also formed in honor of a wish kid. Nicholas, 9, received his wish to swim with dolphins at Atlantis Resort in February 2008, and his team of 15 sported cycling jerseys with dolphins on the shoulder.

Another longstanding team, the Wammer Jammers (WAM stands for Wish-A-Mile), formed largely from a group of neighborhood friends from Farmington, Mich., and now includes riders from many communities in the metro Detroit area. They hold Wish-A-Mile fundraisers in their communities each year before the ride. The 67-member squad always stops to wait one mile before the tour’s finish line so the whole team can ride the last mile together.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan’s corporate partners Eaton and Continental Automotive sponsor the Wish-A-Mile tour, but they also field teams each year. Medical professionals who treat and refer wish kids to the Foundation get in on the act, too: Michigan Pediatrics and Central Michigan University Physical Therapists both formed teams.

The Blues Brothers, a team that debuted in 2007 with three members, was back in 2008 with six guys. John Romain of Rochester Hills, Mich., formed the team and made fliers to help him recruit new riders and raise funds this year. He said his goal is to double the size of his team each year. “Next year we’d like to recruit some Blues Sisters,” he said, laughing.

“As hard as it is to ride three centuries (300 miles) – and today it was brutal – I do this race because it’s not just about you,” teammate Dave Sokol added. “I donate my weekend to this because this tour is about somebody else.”

The tour concluded with a cheerful, and often tearful, celebration at the Chelsea Community Fairgrounds. Kids with painted faces and handmade signs embraced their tired moms and dads as they pedaled over the “Heroes Hurrah” finish line.

At the medal ceremonies, wish kids placed medals around the necks of the sweaty riders who were riding for them. And each was a hero in the eyes of the other.

Watch 2008 Wish-A-Mile Video

Watch Footage from the 2008 Wish-A-Mile Tour