Man bikes across US as father undergoes cancer treatment, fulfilling promises to each other
A Florida man kept a promise to his father by completing a cross-country cycling race as his dad simultaneously underwent treatment for advanced Stage 4 prostate cancer.
On Sunday, June 22, Alvaro Nuñez crossed the finish line of the Race Across America, a grueling coast-to-coast 3,000-mile cycling challenge from California to New Jersey that he completed in just under 12 days.
Just one month before he set off on the race, Nuñez learned his father had been diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer.
What could have been a breaking point became Nuñez's new motivation, the Miami-based entrepreneur told "Good Morning America."
Rather than urging Nuñez to be by his side during treatment, Nuñez said his father gave him a new purpose.
"He told me, 'Don't you ever, ever say that you're gonna drop on this. You finish what you start. And just so you know, you give me more strength by doing this race than by being here with me,'" Nuñez recalled.
"So we made this agreement. And the agreement is that if I didn't quit throughout the race, he wouldn't quit throughout the treatment," he continued. "And when you have a bond, an agreement [that is] so strong, you feel just unstoppable."
From that point on, Nuñez said the race became personal.
Race Across America isn't for the faint of heart. Spanning 12 days, over 3,000 miles, 12 states, and 150,000 feet of climbing -- approximately five times the height of Mount Everest -- it's widely considered one of the hardest endurance challenges on the planet.
And Nuñez had never even raced a bike competitively before.
Standing 6 feet, 4 inches and weighing over 200 pounds, he trained obsessively for up to 12 hours a day on the bike, running on minimal sleep.
Their strength carried each other
During the race, Nuñez said he averaged just one hour of sleep per night. He said he hallucinated, lost feeling in his hands and feet, and at times, he said he could barely eat or think.
But he said he kept going for his dad.
The two talked throughout the race, checking in as often as they could.
Nuñez told "GMA" he later learned that every day before treatment, his dad would rush the doctors, telling them, "Hurry up because my son is about to make it to the time station and to this cutoff time, I need to be there for him."
When Nuñez crossed the finish line in Atlantic City, New Jersey, he did so with his dad on FaceTime.
"That was one of the most emotional moments ever and one of those moments that I was visualizing throughout the race, of me crossing that finish line and seeing my dad on the other [side]," he recalled.
In a statement to "GMA," Rick Boethling, executive director of Race Across America, praised Nuñez's commitment.
"When I spoke with Alvaro last year, when he crewed for a 2-person relay team, he said he was going to race solo the next year. I hear that a lot and oftentimes it is just words," Boethling said. "When he registered I was sort of surprised. It is really impressive that he decided to race and then put together a successful rookie race in under a year. Many people take years to prepare."
"His dedication to success, not only in his career, but also preparing for RAAM, really shone through. As with every RAAM finisher we are super excited for him," Boethling added.
Nuñez said he is still recovering physically and emotionally from the race.
Now, as he continues to support his father, Nuñez said he is focused on sharing what he learned about motivation and love.
"Pain fades and glory stays," he said. "It's about just staying in the game for as long as you can. And sometimes we are going through a lot of pain and we quit when we are so close to the end … so for those out there that are struggling in their own battles, that are fighting every day, just keep on going."
