EXETER, N.H. — Brian Hall was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease when he was a teenager. At 60 years old, the New Hampshire native is continuing to push through his diagnosis and is planning to cycle in the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb on Saturday.
It's a monster of a challenge from base to summit, with inclines so steep that riders don't have many options to stop and rest.
This will be Hall's third ascent up the mountain.
"I'm feeling ready and prepared, as much as I've ever been, but the mountain decides what weather you'll have that day and what you'll be facing," Hall said. "It doesn't matter really how much I prepare. The mountain's gonna decide."
Hall will be one of the hundreds taking on the intense challenge but likely the only cyclist with Parkinson's disease. His goal is to finish the climb in under two hours, but he admits it won't be easy.
"I had that goal in 2019, and I really made an error in judgment," Hall said. "I tried to summit without taking a break, but Parkinson's said no way to that. I had fatigue. I crashed my bike. I hurt my hip, screwed up my elbow, [and] cracked a rib. It took me three hours to summit, but I summited."
While Hall cycles for himself, he also hopes to inspire others. In 2019, he wrote a book called "Not Afraid to Fall," which most recently caught the attention of Giant Bicycles. The group has now hired a company to make a documentary about Hall's journey and the summit.
The documentary is also diving more into medical research that shows regular cycling can help reduce tremors and improve overall motor function in people with P-D, with a focus on work being done at Cleveland Clinic.
"Brian was the first young person that I had ever talked to," Karen Rallis said. "They say there are all these people with Parkinson's, but I never see any young ones." Rallis is Hall's fiancé and one of the many people inspired by his words. She's also been living with P-D for 20 years but admits, not in the same way Hall has.
"Brian, when we first met, said, 'I forgive myself for having the disease, for being sick,'" Rallis said.
"You could tell how much that word grated on her," Hall said.
"Because it didn't seem like he should have to forgive himself because he didn't obviously do anything," Rallis said. "It took a long time. It wasn't that long ago that I realized I hadn't forgiven myself for having that. And the way that manifests itself is trying to hide it."
Rallis added, "I guess you feel like you don't want to be a burden to everyone else. That's probably a fear all of us have, that you wanna end up being able to take care of yourself. But I've forgiven myself."
Hall's story isn't just about the things he's done or is yet to do. It's about his will to try. It's a story Hall said anyone can learn from, "Whatever they are trying to hide from in their life, if they come to terms with it and face it, it may be a good thing for them. Because I tried to hide from this for too much of my life."
Hall will make the ascent up Mt. Washington on Saturday morning, along with hundreds of others. Those interested will want to get there early if you want to cheer riders up the mountain.