Local vet on a 2100+ mile journey for a good cause

A local veteran is going a very long way for a very good cause. Jodie Knox is a retired U.S. Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander. In 2022, she was hit by a car while cycling to work. Knox suffered a traumatic brain injury that required months of outpatient care at Walter Reed. She also deals with injuries to her hips and back that make it difficult to walk and run – but not to bike. "Getting back on the bicycle was extremely hard," Knox said Thursday. "Just the trepidation and the anxiety about that, the jumpiness at any intersection, and then eventually getting to where I felt comfortable on it again, and then I felt alive on it again because I could move fast. I could go far." As it turns out, very far. Knox is currently more than halfway through what she’s calling "Key West to Kittery," a roughly 2100 mile bike ride from Florida to Maine. She's doing it in hopes of raising $30,000 for Wounded Warriors Project and Achilles International. "I just wanted to do something. I have an adventurous spirit. I’m like afflicted with the need to just live fully," she said on a stop in her hometown of D.C. "I think if I were to say I’m proud of myself on anything, it’s just that I haven’t quit," Knox added. "Can I do it 27 days in a row? I guess the answer is yes. Can I do it 42? We’ll see." Knox plans to hop back on her bike and continue her journey Saturday. Her hope is to make it to Maine by May 20. If you'd like to donate – or if you want more information about "Key West to Kittery" – you can click here.