After decades of success and air quality improvements, federal clean air protections face renewed pressure — from rollbacks to emissions standards to eliminating health-related data from being considered in analyses of clean air measures — public health advocates say the fight for clean air is far from over. Even in Maine, where air quality is often strong, pollution carried across state lines and emerging threats like wildfire smoke continue to impact residents.
Clean air is essential for all people in Maine, but for the more than 240,000 residents living with lung disease, a day with a high Air Quality Index can be life-threatening.
That’s why this June, the American Lung Association is inviting new and veteran riders to turn awareness into action.
Save the Date
Trek Across Maine
Friday, Jun. 19 – Sunday, Jun. 21
- Start and Finish at Pineland Farms, 15 Farm View Drive, New Gloucester
- The 180-mile route goes to Bates College in Lewiston then St. Joseph’s College in Standish before returning to New Gloucester
- One-day gravel ride (25 and 50-mile routes) at Pineland Farms on Sunday, Jun. 21
- $550 fundraising minimum
Register now at TrekAcrossMaine.org
Registration is now open for the 42nd annual Trek Across Maine, a three-day, 180-mile cycling event held over Father’s Day weekend. Known as “Maine’s biggest and best family reunion,” the ride draws about 1,000 participants to raise funds for lung health research, education and clean air advocacy.
“This is not a race; it’s more like a party,” said Sarah Brown, senior development manager for the American Lung Association in Maine. Food, drink and lodging are completely taken care of, making the experience accessible even for first-time cyclists. Along the route, participants will find rest stops every 15 miles, bike mechanics and medical support. For those not ready to ride, volunteer and virtual options are also available.
“Anyone can do it,” Brown emphasized.
The three day ride will have overnight stops at Bates College in Lewiston and Saint Joseph’s College in Standish. Once off their bikes, riders unwind with communal dinners, local beer, lawn games, live music and a special trivia event in Lewiston.
New this year is a gravel ride on Sunday, June 21, with 25- and 50-mile options designed to appeal to rough-road riders and those who want to participate on a more limited schedule.
“This is the perfect way for us to welcome new people into the event or for riders to have supporters join them on the last day,” Brown said.
Since 1985, the Trek has raised more than $32 million to support the American Lung Association’s work, advancing public health through policy initiatives focused on tobacco control, healthy air and expanded access to health care.
In Maine, the association has achieved significant successes, including fully funding tobacco prevention programs and increasing the tax on cigarettes for the first time in 20 years which reduces youth initiation and helps current tobacco users make a quit attempt. At the national level, recent efforts have centered on restoring federal funding for tobacco prevention programs, challenging the repeal of critical environmental protections and increasing NIH research funding to improve treatment and care for individuals with lung cancer and lung disease.
“A lot of our riders are struggling with lung cancer themselves or have family members who have been affected,” said Peggy Pennoyer, MD, American Lung Association board member and 18-year Trek Across Maine participant. “It can be sobering to see, but it is a very powerful message that is being delivered and supported by all these riders. As a physician, what you can do through the Lung Association — the research, the advocacy, the important public policy work — far exceeds what you can do as an individual, and that is incredibly rewarding.”
Participants commit to fundraising at least $550 for the full three-day ride, and Brown emphasized that support often comes together through small donations, especially when friends and family learn about the organization they are supporting.
“You’d be surprised how quickly small amounts add up,” she said. “And when you think about what you get for the weekend, it’s an incredible experience.”
At a time when clean air protections and medical research funding are under threat, Brown said the Trek offers a simple and meaningful way to show up.
“Once you start riding with us, you’re taken care of,” she said. “You just have to get on the bike.”
