Just before the start of Diabetes Awareness Month, Morgan Hill native Blake Mosher hiked nearly 70 miles to raise awareness of a disease that millions of Americans live with.
Mosher’s 24-hour hike took place Oct. 31 as part of the JDRF One Walk event, the largest and most successful peer-to-peer fundraising program in the world for Type 1 Diabetes. Mosher, 22, spent his Halloween hiking the Bay Area Ridge Trail from Skyline Ridge Preserve to the Golden Gate Bridge—a total of 67.5 miles.
“It was wonderful. It was hard,” said Mosher, an outdoor and adventure sports enthusiast who graduated from Sobrato High School in 2016. “I think I did well. I met my goals, and I’m happy with that.”
More importantly, Mosher hopes his participation in JDRF One Walk helped raise awareness of Type 1 Diabetes so that more support and fundraising for research and treatment can materialize. This summer, Mosher completed a 48-hour ultramarathon, also in support of diabetes awareness.
“I thought the JDRF One Walk would be another great opportunity to raise awareness for diabetes, especially with November being Diabetes Awareness Month,” Mosher said a few days before embarking on his hike on Oct. 31. “And I’ve always wanted to attempt a 24-hour challenge.”
Mosher was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when he was 16 years old. He has been an avid participant in “outdoor adventure” sports since he was a child, when his father got him interested.
Mosher recalls his first backpacking trip when he was 12 years old. In the last two years, he has hiked and run more than 1,600 miles on trails throughout California. He has also run several trail half-marathons, three full marathons and a trail ultra-marathon in the last few years.
He was hoping to hike the Pacific Crest Trail this year, but the Covid-19 pandemic and related social distancing protocols put a damper on that trip. However, he has hiked more than 550 miles of the PCT in recent years.
Mosher is a member of the Balanced2Thrive walk team, which focuses on raising awareness of Type 1 Diabetes.
“Part of it is, I want to know how far I can push my body,” Mosher said of his commitment to outdoor adventure sports.
When he was diagnosed with diabetes, he thought these adventures would be over for him. But he became even more committed.
“With the help of my endocrinologists I have been able to excel and continue things I want to do,” Mosher said. “It adds an extra challenge but it’s worth doing, and it’s worth figuring out am I capable of this. Pushing myself is always something that came natural to me.”
Mosher graduated earlier this year from University of California Santa Barbara. He is currently taking a gap year, working at the Stanford University immunology lab, as a lab technician. He is studying how to reduce immune tolerance for applications such as Type 1 Diabetes.
He is planning to attend medical school starting in 2021, and “many years down the line” his goal is to become an endocrinologist—a doctor who studies hormones—and treat other diabetes patients.
Mosher’s career and education goals were influenced by his diagnosis and experience with diabetes, though he previously wanted to enter the medical field as a physical therapist. His desire to become an endocrinologist became even clearer after a friend of his was diagnosed with diabetes only a year or two after Mosher.
“I found out that my perspective living with diabetes could benefit some people,” Mosher said.
For the Oct. 31 hike—and any high-impact outdoor adventure—Mosher had to tightly regulate his blood glucose levels with the right amount and types of food and carbohydrates. His endocrinologist agreed to remotely monitor blood glucose while he was on the trail, and give him advice or suggestions if his levels were not ideal.
Mosher hiked with a “pace crew” of friends and supporters who took turns hiking different sections of the 67.5-mile route with him.
JDRF One Walk is a nationwide fundraiser and awareness campaign for Type 1 Diabetes. Each year, walkers attempt to walk 1.6 million miles in support of the 1.6 million Americans who live with diabetes, reads a press release from JDRF. This year’s event—which was held virtually due to the pandemic—also sought to raise $50 million for diabetes research, in honor of JDRF’s 50th anniversary.
