Twinsburg Doc Bikes Across America in 40 Days

One Twinsburg doctor has completed a long, tiring bike trip for a good cause.

Dr. Richard Kratche recently biked across the country in 40 days, covering eight states and 2,829 miles,

Kratche, medical director of Cleveland Clinic Twinsburg Family Health and Surgery Center rode from San Diego, CA to Saint Augustine, FL, raising nearly $11,000 for Destiny Rescue – a non-profit organization that is dedicated to rescuing children from human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

Kratche has been an active biker since the age of 14 but this was the first time he took his sport more seriously and raised money for a cause. His wife, Robin, also joined him on this biking adventure.

His passion for biking doesn’t go unnoticed. Taking a leave of absence for six weeks, his patients started to wonder where he was. When he came back in early October, he shared his story and journey with everyone and did so to encourage his patients to live an active, healthy lifestyle.

Kratche leads the ‘Walk with a Doc’ program in Twinsburg that combines a casual 2-3 mile walk with a brief, informative talk by a Cleveland Clinic physician. Walks are scheduled every Saturday morning and are open to all.

There is no cost to participate. Dr. Kratche believes that you can improve the health of the community by getting active physically and it doesn’t have to be extreme like biking thousands of miles.

Editor's Note: Jenny Popis contributed to this report.