For almost two months, a Southern Illinois University Edwardsville alum has been riding his bicycle about 55 miles every day, with a 70-pound bike trailer in tow. And if all goes according to schedule, Jay Knight expects to arrive in Edwardsville Sunday night.
“It seemed wrong not to do something to exemplify the good things about his life and to honor him in one final salute,” said Jay Knight of his friend and fellow Marine, Lance Corporal Johnny Strong, who died in combat in Iraq.
Knight graduated from SIUE in 2013 with a bachelor’s in economics. He is part of a two-man team biking across the country to raise money for sick children and pay homage to the fallen soldier from Waco, Texas. Riding along with Knight is Denny Salisbury of Kelseyville, Calif. The pair left the Boston Convention Center on April 11 and will conclude their bike-a-thon on Aug. 30 at the Seattle Convention Center.
The cyclists are scheduled to arrive in the Edwardsville and Granite City by June 8. The two will stay in the vicinity for several days and then leave from SIUE’s Hairpin Drive at 8 a.m. Thursday, June 12. The pair expects to arrive at St. Louis Children’s Hospital at 11 a.m. the same day.
The purpose of all the pedaling is to raise $100,000 that will be given to Child’s Play Charity, a game industry charity that uses contributions to improve the lives of children while they are in the hospital. Monies are spent to purchase video games, toys, books and other fun items for children and are dispersed to a network of more than 70 hospitals worldwide.
Knight and Salisbury are also calling their Johnny Strong Memorial Charity Ride, Pax2Pax, because they are biking from one Penny Arcade Expo (Pax) to another.
Knight and Strong were stationed together at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif. An East Moline native, Knight recalls his friend of two years.
“Johnny always had his nose in a screen, whether it was the television, computer or a little hand held video game,” Knight said. “He had decided he wanted to be a programmer and go into the game industry when he got out.
“Whenever we talked about death, it was always in jest. We understood that we were in a war zone. And we knew we had a job to do.”
While on a security patrol, Strong was shot and killed by a sniper in 2007. He was 21 years old.
Now, seven years later, his friends are biking across America.
While the bicycle-duo is in the Edwardsville area, they will hold several fundraisers. One will be from 7-9 p.m. Friday, June 13 at Big Daddy’s Patio Bar & Grill in downtown Edwardsville.
“It’s been amazing being on this journey and getting to see some of the children that the donations will help,” said Knight.
Photo: Pictured are Denny Salisbury (left) and Jay Knight at their Cleveland Clinic Children’s stop.