Charlie Team Rider
Riding The Tour in	Tennessee to Georgia
Riding out of	Chattanooga, TN
Motivation for joining The Tour	I am motivated to spread the message that people need to get up, get out, and get going. Hopefully we will inspire others to become active.
Reasons for adopting an active lifestyle	Growing up, my parents both smoked and so I was exposed to about four packs of cigarettes a day. At the age of nine, my immune system got so weak that I contracted Necrotizing Fasciitis ("Flesh Eating Bacteria"). I lost part of my right lung, a portion of my liver, two ribs, and spent several months on the rim of life and death. To this day, I have a cough that lets everyone know I am around. Without consistent exercise, my health deteriorates. By 1997, after not exercising for about two years, I started having seizures and was constantly on antibiotics. After my sixth seizure in three months, I recommitted to getting back into shape and lost sixty pounds. I went from a guy who couldn't run a mile to eventually completing the Ironman Switzerland and becoming an All-American triathlete. More importantly, while making this comeback, I met my wife and now have a wonderful family. Recently I discovered that stress was having a big impact on my life and that it not only takes exercise, but managing stress to keep me healthy.
Why a healthy lifestyle is important	Actually, it is very simple. My quality of life is directly tied to my lifestyle. If my lifestyle is poor, my quality of life is poor.
One piece of advice to help others live a healthier life	When I lost the sixty pounds, many people decided that it made me an expert on how to lose weight and get healthy. The truth is that everyone has their own set of struggles and limitations when it comes to getting healthy, but there is one common denominator for people who want to migrate to a healthy lifestyle and that is that you must change your life.