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5,000+ Miles of defiant hope

Rowing the Great American Loop

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In 2024, Team HPP rowed 2,800 miles across the Pacific Ocean, raising $43 million for Parkinson’s research and proving what commitment and determination can achieve in the fight against Parkinson’s disease.

Now the oars pass to a new team.

The Second Wave—an all-female crew led by captain Ashley Ellis, who is living with Parkinson’s—will set out to row the 5,000-mile Great American Loop around the eastern United States. They will row the American Spirit, the same boat that Team HPP rowed across the Pacific.

As with the first crossing, they will raise funds for The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

The Great American Loop circles the eastern United States through a network of rivers, lakes, and coastal waterways.

The team will row down the Mississippi River, around Florida, up the Atlantic Coast, and back to where they started—crossing the Great Lakes and inland river systems along the way.

The team will navigate hazards including heavily trafficked shipping lanes and the ocean-like swells of the Great Lakes.

Every mile will demand commitment, teamwork, and endurance.

This 5,000-mile row is about more than the distance.

It’s about raising critical funds for Parkinson’s research—and proving that a diagnosis does not define a person’s future.

Along the route, the Second Wave will connect with communities, inspiring solidarity, exercise, and hope for those living with Parkinson’s and the families, friends, and advocates who stand beside them.