SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — 429 miles. That’s the distance from Salt Lake City on the Wasatch Front to St. George in Utah’s southeast corner. And Leonard “LT” Weaver will be riding his bicycle the entire distance to inspire others who are struggling with addiction.

Weaver started his journey Friday morning, Sept. 20, at Utah’s Hogle Zoo and he plans to ride straight through for the next 28 hours. He expects to be in St. George by Saturday afternoon.

LT Weaver is no stranger to addiction. He explained to ABC4 that he was addicted to methamphetamine in his early 20s. In his 30s, after a tragic incident that almost took the life of his son, he fell into alcoholism.

“It totally ruined my life,” said Weaver. “I did a year in jail, not understanding addiction, I was scared straight because I almost went to prison for 15 years.”

The addiction almost cost Weaver his job, his family, his home, and his reputation. However, after all the hardship and support from his friends and family, Weaver is a recovering addict and the founder of the Utah-based non-profit organization, Recovering Addict.

Founded in 2020, the non-profit highlights the importance of peer support and helps those struggling with addiction to turn their lives around for the better. Weaver and his team said peer support is a proven method for recovery and he plans to highlight that – or “scream it from the mountain tops” – during his bike ride.

Weaver told NewsNation affiliate KTVX he has been training for the 429-mile journey for the past year. He completed 500 miles each month over the past year and has competed in several intense competitions in preparation.

“I want to do things that I’ve never done before and I want to show people that life can be turned around,” said Weaver. “That’s what peer support is. People that have been there, done that, helping people that are going through it.”

Despite all this training, Weaver knows the ride won’t be easy. He told ABC4 that he is nervous and scared to complete the distance, knowing that there will be an “extremely dark moment” where he will want to quit.

“Your body is screaming quit and the craziest thoughts come across your mind like ‘crash your bike, break an arm, then you can quit and not have to finish,'” said Weaver. “I know that that battle is scaring me.”

But Weaver still believes he can go to the distance and prove anyone can overcome anything.

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