SILVER SPRING, MD – October 8, 2018 – This Friday, October 12 at 6:45 a.m. (PT) on the Santa Monica Pier in southern California, Kurt Osburn will begin a cross-country bike ride that he hopes will set a Guinness World Record and raise funds for PHIT America.  What makes this ride unique is he will ride from coast to coast on a wheelie -- yes, on one wheel!  He is expected to conclude the 2,800+ mile trip on or around November 30, arriving at the pier in Cocoa Beach, Florida. 

Osburn’s trip details can be found at Kurt4Kids.org. 

He was just recently interviewed on KCBS-TV in Los Angeles where he explained what it has taken to get ready and, more importantly, why he’s doing it. 

In 1999, Osburn accomplished the same feat in 74 days and, now, at the age of 49, wants to break his own world record.  But, why?  He wants to drive awareness of the ‘Inactivity Pandemic’ now facing America and encourage children to get more physically active.  Osburn is living proof of the power of being physically fit and active.

Working with PHIT America, a 501(c)3 charity which offers GO! Grant funds to schools across the country to support physical education programs, Osburn’s goal is to ride his wheelie more than 2,800 miles from the Pacific Ocean (in California) to the Atlantic Ocean (in Florida) in less than 50 days and at an average speed of 10 mph. Along the way, he will deliver a strong message to the general public and to various schools that it is imperative to America’s future to get today’s youth off the couch and physically active.  Teaming up with PHIT America, he has set a goal of raising enough money to impact the lives of at least 5,000 children in P.E. programs at elementary schools across the country.  Corporate and individual donations are welcome through Kurt4Kids.org.

“The statistics are startling in terms of how physically inactive American children are today,” said Osburn, who resides in Las Vegas and has been enduring a grueling six-days-a-week training schedule to prepare for the cross-country journey. “When I heard about the deadly ‘Inactivity Pandemic’ and what PHIT America is doing to create a movement to get Americans more physically active, fit and healthy, it gave me an even greater purpose to break this record and help kids throughout the U.S.”

This bike ride will take Osburn through eight states (CA, AZ, NM, TX, LA, MS, AL, and FL) and will require an average of 70 miles a day to break the Guinness World Record.  His main route will be along I-10.  Along the way, major cities which he will pass through include Palm Springs, CA; Phoenix, AZ; Tucson, AZ; Las Cruces, NM; El Paso, TX; San Antonio, TX; Houston, TX; Beaumont, TX; Lake Charles, LA; Baton Rouge, LA; New Orleans, LA; Biloxi, MS; Mobile, AL; Pensacola, FL; Tallahassee, FL; and Jacksonville, FL.

“I train six days a week, including strength and cardio conditioning,” said Osburn.  “I’m nearly 50 so it’s much harder for my body to recover. I have to maintain mobility in order to go day after day.”

“In a nutshell, Kurt Osburn cares about kids' health,” said Jim Baugh, Founder, PHIT America.  “He understands the power of P.E. and why school children should be introduced to a life of physical activity.”

In recent years, nearly 600 PHIT America GO! Grants, with the support of KIDS in the GAME, have been awarded nationally to school P.E. programs – helping more than 300,000 school children in 48 states get physically active. GO! Grants help schools that are in desperate need of gear, programming and training for physical activity programs.  People can learn about the PHIT America GO! Grants by visiting HERE.