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JUNE 13 - 26, 2025 LOCAL NEWS | PAGE 3
Dresden man takes on 100 Mile Bike Challenge to celebrate

100 pound weight loss milestone by Lynette Dotson
a bonus!” loss drugs and wanted to start me on
The American Heart Association’s Bike medication for high blood pressure. I
100 Miles Challenge raises funds to help had high cholesterol, high blood pres-
end heart disease and stroke. For this sure, and I was pre-diabetic, but I have
challenge, Matthew has raised $177 out never been a fan of taking medication,
of a $250 goal. You can donate through so I asked if she would give me time to
Facebook by visiting https://tinyurl. correct it by eating healthy and exercis-
com/44jbjh24. ing, and she agreed.”
“Right from the start, my family was
Utilizing Area Trails so supportive, my wife and I started re-
“So far this month, we have ridden on searching healthy recipes, she started
the Muskingum Recreational Trail here helping me track my calories and blood
in Dresden, and we recently completed pressure, and that first weekend we
the Great Guernsey Trail just outside of went as a family on a six-hour (because
Cambridge, which is a 7 mile trail with at the time I couldn’t walk very quickly)
bridges, gardens, rest areas, and it pass- walk on the Muskingum Recreational
es through a beautiful park area in Lore trail where we took a break on the
City,” Matthew said. bridge over the river to have a healthy
In April, the Dotsons completed the picnic before heading back. I don’t think
Buckeye Scenic Trail (5.5 miles from the doctor really believed that I would be
Hopewell Dr. near Industrial Pkwy. able to lose weight and change my blood
in Heath to US 40 at Lakewood High pressure on my own, but when I came
School just east of Hebron. Then, later back into her office two weeks later and
this week, Matthew is headed to the T.J. had already lowered my blood pressure
Evans Panhandle Trail, a 9.8-mile trip substantially and lost 20 pounds, she
from Nashport to Newark. But, most of believed it then. Since then, as more
his journeys out on his bike are spent weight comes off and we get more and
on the Muskingum Recreational Trail, more active, I realize how much of my
which is about a 12-mile ride. life I was sleeping through both literal-
“The Muskingum Recreational Trail ly and figuratively. It has been a lot of
was kind of a hidden gem for my wife changes over the past 10 months and
and me. We knew that it was here when I really couldn’t have done this without
we moved to Dresden in 2014, but we the support of my family! My wife has
hadn’t been on the trail until more re- been the driving force in making sure
Matthew Dotson stands with his modded 21 speed fat tire bike just before a 14 mile ride through cent years. We take every chance we that none of the new foods get boring
Dresden and on the Muskingum Recreational Trail. Lynette Dotson can to ride the entire trail, including the and is always spending the extra time
newly paved section between Rock Cut that she doesn’t have to make meals for
I took a pause after the idea came to me to riding bicycles when the weather would and Ellis Dam, and we have seen all us.”
write this article because I am an overthink- allow, and I really love bicycling. I had kinds of wildlife from birds and herons The freedom to be able to move a lot
er, and I had a concern that including it may done quite a bit of cycling in my teen- to foxes and deer along the way.” more, breathe easier, and stay ener-
come off the wrong way because Matthew age years, but after gaining weight in gized longer has improved Matthew’s
is my husband and the Sports Editor for the my late teens, biking had fallen off my quality of life exponentially.
Dresden Buzz. Then, after thinking about it radar. Since I had started the new focus “Since making this lifestyle change, I
further, I decided to run it because regardless on my health, I had lost just over 100 have noticed every day I seem to have
of how our intentions could be misconstrued, pounds, and the challenge seemed like more and more energy,” stated Mat-
it is more important to tell this story not only the perfect way to celebrate with a mile- thew. “I was always so tired before, and
to help the fundraising efforts for the Ameri- per-pound lost.” everything seemed like a chore. I have
can Heart Association but to maybe spark At the time of writing this article, June gotten rid of joint pain and muscle pain
a change in someone else’s life to be more 11, Matthew has already ridden 79.21 that had plagued me for so many years
active and make healthy decisions. Matthew miles and is on track to finish the sug- and I had just grown accustomed to it,
has certainly been an inspiration to me and I gested 100 miles before the month is thinking ‘this is how it is’ I still have a
hope he can also inspire you as well. half over. long way to go, but I don’t plan on turn-
“You know, when I saw the quota for ing back.”
The Challenge the challenge, it seemed like a steep “Another thing I have noticed with
After losing 100 pounds, Matthew goal because my wife and I had not real- changing the foods we eat is that my
Dotson decided to accept the American ly been tracking total miles that we had taste buds have changed; I didn’t even
Heart Association’s June Bike Challenge been biking, and we had to fit exercise know that was possible. I really enjoy
to ride 100 Miles to celebrate an impor- time in around our busy schedule. Now trying new foods I have never tried be-
tant milestone on the road to getting that we have been actively making sure fore, and finding recipes with my wife
healthy. that we get rides in, the mileage seems that are healthy. Just because it is
“The 100-mile challenge came to my to zoom by,” Matthew said. “We have al- healthy doesn’t mean it can’t taste re-
attention recently, when I had been most met our goal, and I think if all goes ally good!”
working on getting healthy and being well, I could see doubling the challenge Matthew encourages others who want
active over the past 10 months. My and going for 200 miles, which would be to make a change in their health to go
wife and I had been walking a lot and for it with guidance from their doctor.
Matthew Dotson stands with his bike on an old “If you want to make a change, you can!
train trestle bridge at the end of the Muskingum Even if it starts out being a small change,
Recreational Trail near Ellis Dam. small changes lead to big changes. You
Lynette Dotson don’t have to change it all overnight; you
can start by making sure that you in-
crease your healthy vegetables and de-
The Journey to Better Health crease the amount of highly processed
Matthew weighed nearly 400 pounds, foods, unhealthy fats, salt, and sugar
was constantly tired, and began to no- that you eat. Get out and move more,
tice his health declining. A change even if that just means starting with a
needed to happen and fast. short walk every day. If you had told me
“In the fall of last year, my health was 10 months ago that in June I would be
getting to a level that was really con- taking on a 100-mile bike challenge, I
cerning my family,” explained Matthew. would have thought that you were crazy,
“I was having trouble sleeping. I would but I started out doing what I could and
wake up gasping for air. I could see the gradually that became working my way
fear in their faces when they talked to up to taking a 16 mile bike ride and still
me about my health, and I knew that I being ready for more. You don’t have to
had to do something, but I felt stuck. I start big, you just have to start, you will
agreed to go to the doctor to have blood thank yourself, believe me!”
work done, something I hadn’t done in
more than two decades, and at that mo-
ment when I agreed to go, I just knew
that I couldn’t continue the way I was READ & SHARE THE BUZZ ONLINE IN FULL
going. Something clicked, and I didn’t COLOR - WWW.DRESDENBUZZ.COM
want to eat the foods that had made me
A picture taken of Matthew in 2024 (left) before making the necessary lifestyle changes to begin his this way. The doctor offered me weight-
journey to a healthier life and one taken on June 10, 2025 after losing 100 pounds. Lynette Dotson