In the months leading up to the 2026 Tri-State Trek, we will be publishing perspectives from some of the event's most dedicated supporters about why they ride and what the Trek means to them. Today, we're featuring a conversation with Ellie Smith of Team Moira.


Team Moira at the 2025 Tri-State Trek.

ALS TDI: First off, can you introduce yourself and tell us about how ALS has affected your life?

Ellie Smith: My Name is Ellie Smith, and this will be my third year riding the Tri-State Trek. In 2023, my mom was diagnosed with ALS. We’re lucky she’s still here with us, but it’s obviously been a hard journey the past couple of years. I ride with my siblings on a team called “Team Moira,” named after her. 

We obviously got involved because of my mom, but since then we’ve met all these other people who were also relatives of people with ALS, or people with ALS themselves, through the Trek and other ALS TDI events. So, now we all ride to raise money for all those people that we’ve met, as well as our mom, in the hopes that we can support the people who are doing the hard science to find a cure. 

How did you get involved in the Tri-State Trek?

My mom had been in communication with some of the people at ALS TDI after she got diagnosed, and when she heard about the Trek, she posed as a way for us to get involved. I enjoy biking, but I had never really been a serious biker before. But I decided to try it.

I signed up and then roped in my two siblings, my brother’s girlfriend, and some of our friends to come ride with us. The first year, I just did the 30-mile route, and it was such a great experience. So, I did the 100-mile route one day and the 30-mile route the other last year.

How did you pull off going from being a novice cyclist to riding 130 miles over a weekend in just one year?

That was definitely a challenge. I’m currently in college, and I play field hockey and lacrosse. So, I’ve always been involved in a lot of different sports. After doing 30 miles my first year, I thought, “That wasn’t that bad. I can do more.”

Last spring, I was in lacrosse season, and I was biking a little bit on the side. Once lacrosse season ended, I started biking a bunch. I felt like I had the strength and endurance. I just needed to get used to being on a bike. It was a big jump in terms of hours on the bike, but it was easier than training for a marathon or something like that. I was able to go from minimal experience with biking to being able to do the 100 with not that much training. I feel like it shows that a lot of people with different abilities are able to bike and participate in this, whether you’re just doing the 30 or the 100. 

I had never done more than 60 or 70 miles going into the Trek last year, and I think what is really helpful is all the people riding alongside you and the cheering cars. Mile to 70 to 80 was the hardest part, and I remember going up a hill, and one of those cars passed me, and they were all cheering for me. It’s so helpful when you’re with other people who are in it with you, and the community is so supportive. 

I was also thinking about my mom, about how she used to be really active and how she would have enjoyed doing something like this. It motivates you to do this for all those people who can’t.

Ellie and her sister, Juliette, riding in the 2024 Tri-State Trek.

What are some of your favorite parts of the event?

The dinner the night before is really fun. My first year, my family wasn’t able to come up on the first night. They showed up on the second day to watch me bike. So, I was like, “Oh no, I’m going to be left alone at dinner.” But then I went, and I ended up sitting with some other people and getting to connect. It’s a really cool experience to be able to interact with people that you wouldn’t have met other than through this community, who are also facing similar struggles

One of my other favorite parts is all the people who are running the rest stops and cheering you on. It helps break up the ride and makes it so fun when you pull into the rest stop, and there’s a bunch of people with cowbells in costumes cheering for you. 

What would you say to someone who was thinking about signing up for the Trek for the first time? 

I would say definitely, 100%, do it. When I was preparing for the first year, when I just did the 30 miles, I was biking mostly on my own. I was thinking, “I actually don’t even like this is horrible.” But then, when I was riding at the trek, I was like “Wait, with everyone here, it’s so much easier biking with a big group and having all that support.” Then, with the fundraising piece, you’ll be surprised how many people will come through to help you hit your goal just from sending a couple of emails or posting on social media. 

That feeling of knowing that you’ve done all you can to support this cause in the moment when you cross the finish line at the trek is amazing. You‘re proud of yourself because you’ve finished the ride, but you’ve also raised all this money for this cause, and you can feel the appreciation for all the people who helped you along the way. None of it, the biking or the fundraising, is as hard as it seems at first. 

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