They’ve faced some of life’s toughest battles. And now, they’ve ridden together through one of America’s most iconic landscapes.
More than 40 wounded veterans cycled through the Florida Keys this weekend. On Jan. 9, they crossed the legendary Seven Mile Bridge and rode the scenic Overseas Highway from Key Largo through portions of Islamorada and Marathon.
The following day, they rolled to a finish in the Southernmost City, where a welcome ceremony from the Military Affairs Committee awaited them at Bayview Park.
The journey was part of the Wounded Warrior Project’s annual Soldier Ride, with some cyclists using specially-adapted bicycles to accommodate combat injuries, including missing limbs.
The ride builds connection and community among the warriors while supporting healing from physical and mental service-related challenges. And it gives the Florida Keys a chance to honor those who have sacrificed so much, according to local officials.
Honoring a yearly tradition, the veterans cooled off after 53 miles of sweat with a swim at Dolphin Research Center on Sunday, sharing playful flipper shakes and dorsal fin pulls with the nonprofit’s gray-faced pod.
“They pulled me around this lagoon and it’s a mental and spiritual release,” said Bill Hansen, a former Marine and Army National Guardsman. “A lot of guys and a lot of girls have come back from combat. They need that.”
Mandy Rodriguez, CEO and co-founder of Dolphin Research Center and a combat veteran himself, said the marine mammals provide unique therapeutic benefits.
“A lot of times we come back from theater with some anger, maybe some demons, and they’re hard to shake,” Rodriguez said. “The dolphins do make a big difference on a day like today. We come back with a lot of baggage, and these dolphins seem to unpack that baggage.”
Wounded veterans and their supporters ride adaptive and regular bicycles near the top of the Florida Keys Overseas Highway’s iconic Seven Mile Bridge Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, near Marathon, Fla. Organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, the Soldier Ride brought more than 40 wounded veterans and family members to participate in weekend events in the Keys that end with an interactive session with dolphins on Sunday, Jan. 11. The Wounded Warrior Project provides inspiration and programs to help veterans recover from debilitating physical or mental injuries sustained while serving in the military. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Andy Newman/City of Marathon/HO) 
Wounded veterans and their supporters ride adaptive and regular bicycles past elementary school students and their teachers on the Florida Keys Overseas Highway Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Marathon, Fla. Organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, the Soldier Ride brought more than 40 wounded veterans and family members to participate in weekend events in the Keys that end with an interactive session with dolphins on Sunday, Jan. 11. The Wounded Warrior Project provides inspiration and programs to help veterans recover from debilitating physical or mental injuries sustained while serving in the military. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Andy Newman/City of Marathon/HO) 
U.S. Marine Corps veteran Sergeant Matthew Hannon acknowledges drivers as he rides an adaptive bicycle on the Florida Keys Overseas Highway Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Marathon, Fla. Organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, the Soldier Ride brought more than 40 wounded veterans and family members to participate in weekend events in the Keys that end with an interactive session with dolphins on Sunday, Jan. 11. The Wounded Warrior Project provides inspiration and programs to help veterans recover from debilitating physical or mental injuries. Hannon sustained head cancer, with other serious complications, due to toxic exposures while in service. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Andy Newman/City of Marathon/HO) 
U.S. Navy Petty Officer First Class Jerry Padget, left, who was injured in 2006 while on patrol in Afghanistan, enjoys a dip in the Atlantic Ocean off Little Duck Key, Fla., after completing an adaptive bicycle ride on the Florida Keys’ Seven Mile Bridge Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. Organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, the Soldier Ride brought more than 40 wounded veterans and family members to participate in weekend events in the Keys that end with an interactive session with dolphins on Sunday, Jan. 11. The Wounded Warrior Project provides inspiration and programs to help veterans recover from debilitating physical or mental injuries sustained while serving in the military. At right is John Allen, director of parks and beaches for Monroe County. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Andy Newman/City of Marathon/HO)
Logan Wilson, a Walter Reed Medical Center patient on active duty with the U.S. Army, is towed by two dolphins at Dolphin Research Center Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Marathon, Fla. Wilson was among over 40 wounded military personnel who participated in Soldier Ride, a South Florida mainland and Florida Keys event that ended Sunday. Activities, including a bicycle ride down portions of the Keys’ Overseas Highway, were organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, which provides inspiration and programs to help veterans and active-duty soldiers recover from debilitating physical or mental injuries sustained while serving in the military. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Andy Newman/Dolphin Research Center/HO) 
A dolphin imitates U.S. army veteran Sarah Harrison swimming on her back at Dolphin Research Center Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Marathon, Fla. Harrison was among over 40 wounded military personnel who participated in Soldier Ride, a South Florida mainland and Florida Keys event that ended Sunday. Activities, including a bicycle ride down portions of the Keys’ Overseas Highway, were organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, which provides inspiration and programs to help veterans and active-duty soldiers recover from debilitating physical or mental injuries sustained while serving in the military. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Andy Newman/Dolphin Research Center/HO) 
U.S. Navy Petty Officer First Class Jerry Wayne Padgett II enjoys a smooch with a dolphin at Dolphin Research Center Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Marathon, Fla. Padgett was among over 40 wounded military personnel who participated in Soldier Ride, a South Florida mainland and Florida Keys event that ended Sunday. Activities, including a bicycle ride down portions of the Keys’ Overseas Highway, were organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, which provides inspiration and programs to help veterans and active-duty soldiers recover from debilitating physical or mental injuries sustained while serving in the military. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Andy Newman/Dolphin Research Center/HO)
Students and staff from Plantation Key School and Coral Shores High School gather to greet participants of the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride in front of CSHS Friday, January 9, 2026. Over 40 wounded, ill and injured veterans and soldiers from all over the east coast are riding to Key West. Photos by Doug Finger 
Students and staff from Plantation Key School and Coral Shores High School gather to greet participants of the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride in front of CSHS Friday, January 9, 2026. Over 40 wounded, ill and injured veterans and soldiers from all over the east coast are riding to Key West. Photos by Doug Finger 
Students and staff from Plantation Key School and Coral Shores High School gather to greet participants of the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride in front of CSHS Friday, January 9, 2026. Over 40 wounded, ill and injured veterans and soldiers from all over the east coast are riding to Key West. Photos by Doug Finger 
Students and staff from Plantation Key School and Coral Shores High School gather to greet participants of the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride in front of CSHS Friday, January 9, 2026. Over 40 wounded, ill and injured veterans and soldiers from all over the east coast are riding to Key West. Photos by Doug Finger 
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Nelson Sanchez works to keep students and staff from Plantation Key School and Coral Shores High School safe during a meet and greet for participants of the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride in front of CSHS Friday, January 9, 2026. Over 40 wounded, ill and injured veterans and soldiers from all over the east coast are riding to Key West. Photos by Doug Finger 
Students and staff from Plantation Key School and Coral Shores High School gather to greet participants of the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride in front of CSHS Friday, January 9, 2026. Over 40 wounded, ill and injured veterans and soldiers from all over the east coast are riding to Key West. Photos by Doug Finger 
Students and staff from Plantation Key School and Coral Shores High School gather to greet participants of the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride in front of CSHS Friday, January 9, 2026. Over 40 wounded, ill and injured veterans and soldiers from all over the east coast are riding to Key West. Photos by Doug Finger 
Students and staff from Plantation Key School and Coral Shores High School gather to greet participants of the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride in front of CSHS Friday, January 9, 2026. Over 40 wounded, ill and injured veterans and soldiers from all over the east coast are riding to Key West. Photos by Doug Finger 
Students and staff from Plantation Key School and Coral Shores High School gather to greet participants of the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride in front of CSHS Friday, January 9, 2026. Over 40 wounded, ill and injured veterans and soldiers from all over the east coast are riding to Key West. Photos by Doug Finger 
Students and staff from Plantation Key School and Coral Shores High School gather to greet participants of the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride in front of CSHS Friday, January 9, 2026. Over 40 wounded, ill and injured veterans and soldiers from all over the east coast are riding to Key West. Photos by Doug Finger 
Students and staff from Plantation Key School and Coral Shores High School gather to greet participants of the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride in front of CSHS Friday, January 9, 2026. Over 40 wounded, ill and injured veterans and soldiers from all over the east coast are riding to Key West. Photos by Doug Finger 
Students and staff from Plantation Key School and Coral Shores High School gather to greet participants of the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride in front of CSHS Friday, January 9, 2026. Over 40 wounded, ill and injured veterans and soldiers from all over the east coast are riding to Key West. Photos by Doug Finger 
First time rider Brandon Foote, United States Marine Corps Ret. meets with students and staff from Plantation Key School and Coral Shores High School as they gather to greet the participants of the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride in front of CSHS Friday, January 9, 2026. Over 40 wounded, ill and injured veterans and soldiers from all over the east coast are riding to Key West. Photos by Doug Finger 
First time rider Brandon Foote, United States Marine Corps Ret. meets with students and staff from Plantation Key School and Coral Shores High School as they gather to greet the participants of the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride in front of CSHS Friday, January 9, 2026. Over 40 wounded, ill and injured veterans and soldiers from all over the east coast are riding to Key West. Photos by Doug Finger 
Students and staff from Plantation Key School and Coral Shores High School gather to greet participants of the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride in front of CSHS Friday, January 9, 2026. Over 40 wounded, ill and injured veterans and soldiers from all over the east coast are riding to Key West. Photos by Doug Finger 
Jerry Padgett, a retired Navy Combat Firefighter, signs the American Flag for students and staff from Plantation Key School and Coral Shores High School during a meet and greet of participants of the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride in front of CSHS Friday, January 9, 2026. Over 40 wounded, ill and injured veterans and soldiers from all over the east coast are riding to Key West. Photos by Doug Finger 
Students and staff from Plantation Key School and Coral Shores High School gather to greet participants of the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride in front of CSHS Friday, January 9, 2026. Over 40 wounded, ill and injured veterans and soldiers from all over the east coast are riding to Key West. Photos by Doug Finger
