Man riding wheelchair along canal makes it to Medina, heads to Buffalo today
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Ian Mackay heads west in a mouth-controlled power wheelchair on Sunday at about 4:30 p.m. He is near the Main Street lift bridge in Albion, with the Lockstone building behind him.
He is joined on a bicycle by Dr. Josh Blausten, Mackay’s college chemistry professor from Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz, California. One of Mackay’s friends since college, Jimmy Quenelle, also has been on the 10-day journey from Albany to Buffalo.
Mackay is executive director of Ian’s Ride. He also works as an accessibility consultant to Apple. He is traveling about 350 miles along the Erie Canal towpath.
The group heads west along the canal towpath. Mackay can go 8 miles per hour in the motorized chair. His lithium batteries can go about 80 to 90 miles before needing to be charged.
Mackay was paralyzed from the neck down after a bike accident in 2008 when he collided with a tree and suffered a spinal cord injury. He has become a strong advocate for accessibility in the outdoors, and has done several long distance trail rides including in Washington State; from Washington DC to Columbus, Ohio; and the annual Sea to Sound ride for 74 miles over three days. That ride before Labor Day weekend had 150 participants including 50 people in wheelchairs.
Mackay also holds Guinness World Record for traveling the farthest in a motorized, mouth-controlled wheelchair in one day. From June 21-22 in 2022, he went 184.4 miles in 24 hours. He took 14 laps over a 13-mile paved loop at Sauvie Island near Portland, Oregon.
The record-breaking feat is featured in an upcoming documentary, “Good Moment.” It has its world premiere on Oct. 11 at the SOHO International Film Festival in New York City.
Albion Mayor Tim McMurray greets Ian Mackay when he was in Albion on Sunday. Mackay said every part of the towpath has been accessible to him so far from Albany to Albion.
Mackay said he has enjoyed the journey along the canal towpath and seeing so many small towns and so much wildlife. He said the crusher-run towpath is prefereable to asphalt paths.
“It’s been incredibly beautiful,” Mackay said. “You’re seeing great blue herons. We even saw a muskrat run by.”
He has seen locks and lift bridges in action, and learned about the canal history’s. The Erie Canal celebrated its bicentennial last year.
“It’s neat seeing the whole experience of the Erie Canal,” Mackay said.
Mackay is from Washington state. During his ride on Sunday afternoon he checked score update for his favorite team the Seattle Seahawks, which lost a close one, 33-31, to the Washington Commanders. He also kept a close eye on the Buffalo Bills score. The Bills came back to win, 24-16, versus the Los Angeles Chargers.
Photos courtesy of Teena Woodward, Ian Mackay’s mother: The trio made it to Bates Road in Medina last evening. They plan to start later this morning around 10:30 for the final segment of Ian’s Ride along the canal to Buffalo.
Ian Mackay has long hair and his friends held it up to form a Y while in Clyde.
