Ian Mackay has always been drawn to the outdoors. A nature enthusiast, aspiring biologist, and avid cyclist, he spent his early adult years exploring the world on two wheels. But in 2008, at age 26, a bicycle crash in California left him with a C2 spinal cord injury and paralysis from the neck down. After spending his first year dependent on a ventilator, Ian faced the daunting challenge of rebuilding a life that looked nothing like the one he had imagined.

For a time, the outdoors he loved felt out of reach. But with the support of his family, friends, and fellow spinal cord injury survivors, Ian gradually found his way forward. Adaptive technology, newfound independence, and an enduring curiosity about the natural world helped him rediscover the joy of exploring. Using a power wheelchair controlled by his mouth, he began venturing farther along the Olympic Discovery Trail near his home in Port Angeles, Washington. What started as short outings grew into daily adventures of 10, 15, and eventually 20 miles or more.

In 2016, Ian set out on an audacious journey: riding his power wheelchair across Washington State. The 335-mile adventure brought together cyclists, supporters, and people with disabilities, capturing the public's imagination and demonstrating what becomes possible when determination meets community while enjoying accessible outdoor infrastructure. That journey sparked the creation of Ian’s Ride, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding outdoor accessibility, advancing adaptive technology, and advocating for safe, connected trails and transportation routes for people of all abilities.

Since then, Ian has continued taking his message on the road, completing major journeys across multiple states and regions, including long-distance rides along the California Redwood Coast and the Great American Rail-Trail. In 2022, he set a Guinness World Record by traveling 184.4 miles in 24 hours in a mouth-controlled power wheelchair. Along the way, he has become an advocate for accessible infrastructure and hands-free technology, including consulting with Apple to help make digital devices more accessible to people with significant mobility impairments.

Closer to home, Ian’s Ride organizes inclusive outdoor adventures throughout Washington, including Sea to Sound, a fully supported, three-day journey of approximately 74 miles along the Olympic Discovery Trail. The event welcomes wheelchair users, cyclists, walkers, and other adventurers, creating opportunities for people of different abilities to share the outdoors, build friendships, and discover what they can accomplish together.

In September 2026, Ian completed another milestone: traveling more than 360 miles from Albany to Buffalo along New York’s historic Erie Canalway Trail. Accompanied by two cycling friends, he explored canal towns, encountered wildlife, connected with fellow wheelchair users and local communities, and experienced the trail firsthand from a power wheelchair. The journey celebrated the beauty and history of the canal while highlighting the importance of smooth surfaces, safe crossings, clear detours, and connected routes that allow everyone to participate.

Ian’s story has also been captured on the page and on film. Ian’s Ride: A Long-Distance Journey to Joy, written by Karen Polinsky and published in 2025, traces Ian’s journey from devastating injury and uncertainty to renewed purpose, adventure, and advocacy.

His story is also the subject of Good Moment, a documentary that follows Ian’s life, adventures, relationships, and determination to keep moving forward. The film offers an intimate look at the person behind the wheelchair and the miles, and at the people who have helped make his extraordinary journey possible. Good Moment was accepted into the Soho International Film Festival and provides another way to experience Ian’s story beyond the written word. Learn more at goodmomentfilm.com.

Today, as founder and executive director of Ian’s Ride, Ian continues to champion a world where disability does not mean being left behind. Whether he’s exploring a trail, mouth-painting a landscape, working to improve accessibility technology, or bringing people together for a ride, his mission remains the same:

Get Outside!

Because the outdoors belongs to all of us, and everyone deserves the opportunity to experience its freedom, beauty, and joy.