Chad Lundquist/Nevada Appeal Janet Stephens, right, and well wishers waiting at the finish of Glenn Lucky's successful attempt to pull a 30,000-pound semi-truck and trailer 100 feet. Lucky made his goal of 100 feet in a little under four minutes in the parking lot of Bully's Sports Bar and Grill on North Carson Street on Sunday.
Three days before his 54th birthday, Glenn Lucky straps himself into a harness attached by galvanized cable to a 30,000-pound semi-truck and trailer. A crowd of well-wishers begin chanting his name.
In an effort he describes as "mind over matter," the North Douglas County man, whose body is bent over by the effects of cerebral palsy, begins to push against his walker at about three minutes to noon Sunday. The 20-foot cable between him and the truck is taut. He jerks his head from left to right. His face is strained beneath a black ball cap and a pair of wrap-around shades.
"I think his head is in it," says Cindy McEwan, who trains Lucky a few times a week at Silver State Fitness. "He tries to do things that are amazing."
For 21 years, Lucky has pulled a trailer with ads for Carson City businesses behind his tricycle. He's as familiar to capital city residents as any politician could or ever hope to be.
The community united to purchase and repair a bike that Lucky could manage more easily.
This time too, the community is there for him. About 100 fans circle him and the truck in the parking lot of Bully's Sports Bar and Grill on North Carson Street. They wave signs and snap pictures.
Lucky isn't raising money for a cause. Vuki Wilson, the owner of the Peterbilt truck, says his friend of more than 35 years does something crazy every year for his birthday. In past years, Lucky has sky dived and bungee jumped near Sept. 27.
"I don't ever tell him no about anything," says Wilson, of Minden. "Glenn is the most strong-willed person I've ever met."
Inside the cab, Wilson gives just a little tap on the gas to get Lucky going. Wilson says he feels Lucky tugging the truck ahead. In front of the truck's shiny grill is a man bent over a walker, shuffling his Gore-Tex hiking boots against the pavement.
The wheels begin to turn, and the crowd erupts in applause.
"Come on, brother!" yells Dan Beliveau, of Carson City.
Coaxing him down the straightway is Janet Stephens. She backs up as he advances.
"I support Glenn, he gives us so much inspiration," says Stephens, while holding a "Glenn we all love you" sign.
"If I hadn't have seen it, I wouldn't have believed it," says his mother, Peggy Lucky.
Lucky makes his goal of 100 feet in four minutes. His main goal was to bring a little excitement to sleepy Carson City.
"Just because you are disabled, you can set your mind on anything and believe it," Lucky says as he gulps down a bottle of water.
• Contact reporter Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.