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It lived up to it's name! Air temperature was 113 degrees, temperature coming off the road was 120 degrees. There were 11,000 riders. Nine riders represented The Summit Riders in Wichita Falls, Texas for the 30th running of the Hotter Than Hell Hundred bike ride. Each rider has an incredible story to tell of their adventure on that hot day in August in the panhandle of Texas. 

Sit back and read each of their stories and allow each of their accomplishments motivate you to set big goals for big adventures and then reach them. 

You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. 

PK

Chris Authur

"It is an experience and a challenge I would encourage everyone to do. The excitement and electricity from the ride are amazing. Accomplishing something as awesome as this ride with your spouse is rewarding beyond measurement. I thank God for everyone He put in my path and for the relationships that were made in this journey."

Mandy Arthur

"Wow I have thought a lot about this last weekend and tried to think of exactly what I could put down on paper to explain what we experienced. I now know there is no way I can even begin to give justice on paper to what just happened this last weekend! This was one of the hardest things I have done so far but yet at the same time the most rewarding thing I have done. I can not explain the fear and anxiety I had going into the ride. I am really surprised that Chris did not leave me on the side of the road on the way down there because I had been so uptight the whole week before the ride. I just let myself get very worked up and sick to my stomach over this ride. I knew when we got there that the emotions were going to be even worse and they were. I was not sure I even wanted to ride. My biggest fear was just the fact that I had only been riding a few months and I was not really ready to do something like this. I was not about to tell anyone that but I certainly wanted to back out. You could just see bikes everywhere you went and I knew the next morning they were going to all be lined up right next to me....what was I going to do? 

At this point I only had one choice and that was to quit feeling sorry for myself and just ride. That is exactly what I did! The next morning we got ready and I had knots in my stomach, but I just ignored them and went on. What the heck we are only riding 50 miles!! I thought I was ok until I got to the place where everyone starts to line up and all you can see is bikes everywhere in every direction. I am pretty sure at this point I am having palpitations, but hey it is still ok. There is medical staff everywhere. 

The 6:00 am people were leaving and we were waiting for them to take off so we could line up. After they left, we got to line up. Soon after we lined up, the jets flew over us and the cannons blasted and we were off on our new journey. 

I must say at this very point of take off I had a huge sigh of relief come over me and then we rode passed Kenny's family and they cheered me and Mary on and that was so awesome! It was like we had our little bit of family there for us the whole time. Throughout the entire ride it was just so incredible to me just to be a part of something so big and so profound. At one point in the 50 mile ride you go through the Air Force base. On the last turn, the service men and women were lining the streets just cheering us on like we were heroes. I think that was one of the best parts of the ride. It gave me goosebumps as I rode by! What an experience! 

This was something that no one else could do for me. I had to do this and I did it. It felt so good to accomplish something in life. Sometimes I think we feel like we are such failures. I have been there so many times but not on Saturday; for once in my life I felt like I had actually finished something that I had started. Not only did I finish but I got to finish with my best friend by my side. That alone is something I will never forget. Lastly, one of my most precious memories will be crossing that finish line and seeing Kathy, Morgan, Michal, Jeremy and of course little Landyn waiting for us and cheering us on. I know they came to see Kenny ride but each one of them made all of us feel like they were there to see us. We appreciate you all so much! It meant so much to have someone there to share this with! The biggest thing that I have walked away with is knowing that I have some of the greatest friends in the world. I know after this last weekend that this group would do anything for each other. We are family. It is funny how God knits certain people together. I am so glad to be a part of the Summit Riders! There was just something so special about this weekend. I think for me the biggest blessing was knowing that Chris made it home safely. It was funny how once I started the ride all my thoughts about me and my fears were instantly gone and all I could think about was Chris and the others. I knew they had a lot more miles to put in than we did and I was just concerned for them. I was just praying for their safety and their health the whole ride and God saw them through until the end. I truly believe we had total protection over us the whole ride. There were so many mechanical issues and flat tires and just people being hauled out on trailers all day, but not one Summit Rider!! We did it TEAM!! 

I am so proud of each one of our group and I can not wait to be able to do this all over again next year. I promise I will try to not be so whinny. Thanks so much to each member that has helped so many of us new riders along the way. We could not have done this without your help and guidance! We love each and everyone of you guys! 

LOOK OUT Hotter'N Hell 2012! Summit Riders will be BACK!"

Verna Cunningham

"Just 100 Miles"

"While the testimony of my journey to HHH is much longer, I reflect on this past weekend and am still in awe over this most recent accomplishment. As the date approached and plans began to unfold, my dear husband kept telling me we're signed up for 100 miles, I disagreed. Quickly there was a realization that while I wasn't accepting that a century ride was possible, others had bigger plans for me. My husband continued to argue that "you can do it" I received a Facebook post from my dear friend wishing us well on our first century ride, and a young lady I didn't even know told me "go big or go home!"When I received my bib number, it had across the top "50 mile ride, NOT 100 MILES", go figure. As we headed to the starting line, anxiety rose. Again I was asked what I was riding. I could only answer, "as far as my legs will carry me." The young lady again said, "GO BIG OR GO HOME". 

"As miles 1 through about 64 flew by, I prayed for those with flat tires, the riders who went down, and the ambulances that passed. I also gave praise that Brian, Becky and I were safe and our guardian angels were close by. Every mile over 55 was a new milestone. The weather was still tolerable and Becky and I had humor checks which included singing "on the road again" and hearing donkey from the movie Shrek in my head, while Brian kept pushing me along. Then something happened. Around mile 70, my legs got heavy. The road was scorching hot and my desire to ride lessened. Somewhere near 80 miles, I was ready to be done and give up (I'm not a quitter, so I wasn't quitting), but my faithful husband kept on me and my great friend whispered words of encouragement. At the rest area they put me in the medical area to be "evaluated." I realized I wasn't ready to stop. The finish line was just in front of me with the magic number 17. JUST 17 MORE MILES!!! Why would I quit now? Finally released and back on the bike again, I had two stops left, one rest stop and the finish line, the ultimate stop! Slow and steady I completed the ride. I was told my saddle time was 6:34 hours and who knows what the total laps time was, I don't really care. 

"To those who prayed for us, we love you! To my friends who trained with me over the past several months, thanks for keeping me accountable! To all of those who finished their ride, congratulations, job well done! To Mel, thanks for coming back for the laggard sheep! To Becky (Philippians 1:3), thank you doesn't even express my gratitude to you for riding every pedal stroke with me! To Brian, I love you, "we can do it" and thank you for staying with me when I know you could have done it quicker and better We can do anything together!"

"If you feel any degree of fear or anxiety about acting on the desire God has put in your soul-then you must do it.  Find resolve."  - Palmer Chinchen

Tracie Morris

"Last Saturday I had the honor of riding in the 30th anniversary HHH. I was 2 hours into my ride and caught up in the silence of my own little universe; trying to breathe, remembering to keep pedaling, blocking out the fact that the road was melting beneath me, it was all that mattered at the moment. Then in my silent suffering I heard it, a text message. Who could be texting me now? Don't they know that I am a little busy right now? Since I was a good 30 minutes from my next rest stop when the text came through, I was anxious to grab my phone as soon as I jumped off my bike.

At the 32 mile marker, I got off my bike and was so thrilled to see a text from my daddy. It simply read, "Ride Tracie Ride, Love Daddy."  It was amazing what those words meant! It meant everything to me to know that my earthly father was cheering me on.  But more importantly, I was reminded that my heavenly father was cheering for me as well. I know I lose sight of His daily cheering for me.  It's not just the bike rides but every minute of my day that I have a personal cheerleader.

There is peace also when you know your dad is there. Since this was the first major ride that my husband chose to ride along side me, there was much comfort in knowing that I had support the entire ride. At one point, Star and I were riding and in a conversation when we felt the presence of someone. Star turned back and seeing Mel she said,"oh! It's just dad!". We chuckled but also knew that the ride was easier with him by our side. I knew I would not have to change my own tire if I flatted nor did I even fill my own water bottles most of the time! But once again, I was reminded of the comfort I feel in His presence.

I felt blessed to be on this ride with the support of friends and family, but most importantly, to feel the love and support from my Father made my ride my best ride!"

Mary Powers

"Riding in the Hotter than Hell bike race is something that a year ago I would never have even considered. I, although I don't want to admit it, am getting older and the pounds continue to find me. I have been searching for a way to lose some of the unwanted weight but had no desire to work out in a gym. I have tried that and tried to convince myself that I liked it but after only a few days, I would quit. No motivation and lack of interest always won.  I have had many of my friends and co-workers get into biking and seemed to really enjoy it and after very long, debates I decided that I would try it. I took my first bike ride around the first part of September with The Summit Riders and we rode to Bushland and back. That was very hard for me but what I learned is that even though they had been riding longer and I was MUCH slower, they did not leave me behind.  On August 4, 2011, I purchased my own road bike and began to ride regularly with Mandy and Chris Arthur.  I found that even on very hard days I enjoyed biking.  Mandy began to work on me to go to HHH and ride with her the 25 mile course. I was initially very reluctant, but after some persuading, I agreed.  A few days prior we began to talk about attempting the 50 mile course and felt that we could tackle that if we did it together and took 10 miles at a time.  We arrived at Wichita Falls on Friday and camped with the other Summit Riders, which was such a great time. It was soooooo hot!  We got up Saturday morning at 5 am to finish preparing and get to the starting line to watch part of the group leave at 6:15 am. We decided to start at the official time of 7:05 to experience the incredible start to the race. For miles all you could see were bikes and people and more bikes! We got started without any problems, thank goodness, and made our first 10 miles with relative ease. The second rest stop was 17 miles down the road and we were beginning to wonder if we were ever going to get there. This was the longest I had ever ridden on a bike in one stretch and I felt great.  We left out and about the 35 mile mark I began to feel fatigue.  I slowed up my speed to allow my legs to rest.  By this time, it was beginning to get a little warm. Mandy was great. She rode with me and listened to me whine and didn't complain!  About 2 miles from the 40 mile mark, I began to have chills and felt my core temp was getting too high. So we stopped at a rode side park to get into the shade for a short while and drank some water. We headed on to the next rest area at 40 miles. I was hot and my stomach was cramping and felt I needed to really cool down. We had been trying not to stay off of the bikes too long to avoid cramping, but at this point,I felt I had to cool down or I would not make it the last 10 miles. We went into the tent to refill our water and try to eat some fruit. At this point food did not sound good! Mandy stayed with me to cool down even though she probably would have liked to not stay off the bike that long. I was so thankful for her looking out for me. After about 30 minutes, we headed out for the last 10 miles, the longest 10 miles of my life!  At this point it was the battle with the heat. I do not remember anything on my body hurting, although I'm sure it did, because the heat was so intense that was all I could think about.  We made it through town and then got to ride through the Air Force base. That was incredible! All the Air Force personnel were out on the street cheering and encouraging every rider as they passed through.  We were down to 3 miles. Mandy just continued to encourage me and that I will never forget!

The one thing I took from this experience is that in the most difficult times in our lives we need encouragement. If I had not had that, I would have never made it!  This is so true in all aspects of our lives. I just thank God for all the people in my life who continue to encourage me everyday. Thank you Kenny for teaching me about the importance of nutrition and hydration. Without the knowledge you gave me, I would have not made it in the heat. I would also like to thank Kathy, Morgan, Michal and Jeremy for being our off bike support. It was wonderful having them there, not only for their fellowship, but for helping us at the finish line and being another great support."