Seattle, WA. Matt Broshat made news by pedaling the perimeter of the U.S. to raise money for his favorite charity, Young Life. On February 5th, the 26-year-old boxed up his bike and flew home to Minnesota. Matt Broshat had biked 11,075 miles, starting in August in Portland and ending in the Rose City, 176 days later. Along the way, he surpassed his fundraising goal by $5,000, raising nearly $30,000 for Young Life Capernaum. It’s a nonprofit program for students with disabilities. The money will be used to send kids to summer camp and other events.
Matt Broshat grew up in Minneapolis and graduated from the University of Minnesota. He quit his job at Land O’Lakes to take on the bike trip, camping and staying with volunteer hosts along the way. “I’ve been overwhelmed with the support and encouragement from thousands of people this whole entire journey. I feel like some kind of celebrity, but in reality I am just a guy who likes bikes, a challenge and doing ministry,” he explained.
176 days and 11,075 miles later, Matt Broshat marked his arrival back to Portland with a selfie.
Matt Broshat’s route took him to Maine, Florida and San Diego, CA.
This is a photo, taken on Day 32, shows Matt overlooking Lake Michigan.
As he completed his ride, Matt Broshat made a list of experiences, writing:
“I can’t pin down a specific emotion to describe it, but there were many things running through my head:
-The risk I took to quit a job and seek an adventure of a lifetime
-The thousands of people who were part of my journey
-My friends and family who provided encouragement along the way
-The countless amount of poptarts and sardines required to make it all happen
-The overcoming of ACL surgery 1 year ago
-The prayers of many who helped to keep me safe throughout
-Those who donated to a ministry I love @younglife
-And the realization that I just biked the US perimeter!”
Matt Broshat is looking forward to time with friends and family now. You can keep up with his future plans on his website: https://www.bikerbroshat.com/.
