Former NFL Player and Restaurateur Racing 3,000 Miles Across U.S.

Orlando FL

02 June, 2021

8:51 AM

Description

On Saturday, June 19, former NFL player and Orlando restaurant owner Don Davey will embark on the race of his life spanning more than 3,000 miles from Oceanside, California to Annapolis, Maryland. Davey, who owns 13 local Firehouse Subs restaurants in the greater Orlando area, will be part of an 8-person Race Across America (RAAM) team raising funds and awareness for the ONE MILE Leadership Project. Team ONE MILE, in partnership with Project R.E.D. team, will be making 22 stops during the race to bring awareness to the more than 22 veterans and active duty service members who commit suicide each day on average in the U.S. Despite playing professional football for the Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars and finishing 10 Ironmans including the 2019 World Championship held in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, Davey notes this will be the toughest race he’s ever competed in physically and mentally. “The adversity we’ll have to overcome from biking through rain, wind, heat, and snow across the different terrains of 12 states will be like nothing else I’ve ever experienced in my life,” said Davey. “I’m honored to have been selected to ride alongside this eclectic group of high achievers. My dad was a Marine and passed away in January of this year, and I can’t think of a better way to honor his legacy than by doing this race to raise awareness for veterans and military members who are suffering in silence.” Davey regularly supports local police, firefighters, first responders and military members through Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, which has granted more than $1.2 million in the greater Orlando area. A portion of every sale at any Firehouse Subs in the U.S. benefits the Foundation to help achieve its mission of providing lifesaving equipment and resources to first responders and public safety organizations across the country. As one the most respected and longest running endurance sports events in the world, RAAM is seen as a pinnacle of athletic achievement in cycling circles and the greater sporting community. To put into perspective just how long this race is, each solo and team will climb more than 175,000 feet which is roughly the distance from the ground to the edge of space, more than three times the altitude flown by commercial jetliners and almost four times the altitude of Mt. Everest.