Page 13 - 2020 Summer CMTA Report

Keeping the Fun in Funathlon

Creativiy Allows Annual Event to Continue for Its Sixth Year

ot even a pandemic can stop Quinn Fernandes
us! When the coronavirus wins “Hero
rendered a standard Oxford Award” for her
quarter-mile
Funathlon unworkable, walk.
Nevent organizer Steve
O’Donnell improvised and over-
came. A scaled-down version of
the annual event was held on June
6 with just Steve and his son Sean
participating in the traditional
swim and 20-mile bike ride. The
remaining portion of the
Funathlon went virtual as Steve
invited participants from around
the country to engage in their own
athletic endeavors and then post
them to the Funathlon website. mother Molly reports that at one 2021 Oxford Funathlon the
The event raised more than point she exclaimed, “I’m so fast!” biggest and best yet. Steve is
$200,000 for CMT research. It’s not too late to also organizing Tee Off for CMT,
At 7:30 a.m., Steve and Sean make a donation—just visit a golf tournament to be held
dove into the Tred Avon river in www.cmtausa.org/funathlon. To September 28 in Baltimore.
beautiful Oxford, Maryland for a view the full album of pictures, For more information, keep
quick swim around the harbor. visit https://bit.ly/30s9uea. Plans an eye on the CMTA website
They were escorted on their swim are already underway to make the at www.cmtausa.org. h
by Clark Semmes in a kayak and
Dennis McCartney in a rowboat,
Steve and Sean O’Donnell
while a drone filmed them from
enjoy their 20-mile ride.
above. Steve and Sean then
jumped on their bikes for the tra-
ditional 20-mile bike ride around
Maryland’s beautiful Eastern
Shore, escorted out of town by
two Oxford Police Department
squad cars with sirens blaring.
Meanwhile, participants all
over the country were posting
pictures of their own athletic
achievements on the Oxford
Funathlon website. Some of the
2020 Oxford Funathlon virtual
participants included Chris and
Jeana Sweeny, Benjy Hershorn,
and 2-year-old Quinn Fernandes,
who earned the “Hero Award”
for her quarter-mile walk. The
adorable tyke wore a cape and a
See Steve and Sean’s swim and ride (and some amazing drone footage) at
sign that read “We’re taking steps
to find a cure for CMT.” Quinn’s www.facebook.com/169513073068855/posts/3301746793178785/.

SUMMER 2020 THE CMTA REPORT 13