Kevin Costlow Jr. has overcome a lot in the last five years. No battle tested him more, nor deserves to be celebrated more, than his successful battle against lung cancer.
Two years into his recovery, Costlow Jr. decided to test his body and his mental fortitude by raising money and riding in the annual Peletonia.
Peletonia, at its core, is a group that is “committed to change the world by accelerating innovate cancer research.”
As part of that push, there is a yearly race where participants raise at least $2,000 to enter, with the proceeds going toward the fight against cancer. Costlow Jr. pledged to ride 100 miles that first year in 2019 and each year after. His family, super supportive throughout his battle with the big “C”, was equally so during his quest to cycle for a cause.
“My family has always been super supportive throughout everything,” Costlow admitted.
When registration and planning for this summer’s Peletonia rolled around, Costlow just wasn’t feeling it. No, thankfully, the cancer hasn’t returned, but between work, family, friends, and other commitments, he just didn’t feel it was in the cards.,
His family, however, had different plans. They’d seen him struggle, work hard, and overcome numerous obstacles during his recovery. They know how hard he worked and how much each accomplishment meant to him.
They weren’t about to let a little bit of tiredness get in the way.
“I was struggling to train and didn’t really want to do it anymore,” Costlow admitted. “It’s still a great cause, but with life and being busy and my kids getting older, I felt like I was running everywhere all the time and struggling to find time to train.
“But my son and my father, they decided to ride with me, and that really pushed me to get back (on the bike).”
Three generations of Kevins—Sr., Jr., and the III—will hit the streets in Columbus and make the same 100-mile ride for cancer.
Much like Kevin Jr., the other Kevins didn’t have a lot of cycling experience either, but neither is letting that slow them down in helping to push Kevin Jr. to ride again. Kevin III rode a bit with his dad during his previous training, but between football and other activities, didn’t have a lot of time to hit the roads. Now with extra free time, though, father and son are training a lot together.
Kevin Sr. suffered a pretty horrendous motorcycle accident nearly 20 years ago and lost a good deal of range of motion. Kevin Jr. noted his father never planned on riding pedal bikes, so when he decided to join his son and grandson in the Peletonia, he didn’t really fully commit until a few months ago.
“But he’s been doing great with the training,” Costlow Jr. said. “He just had a 50-mile ride earlier in the week.”
If Costlow Jr. can win his fight with cancer, then the three of them can certainly overcome this challenge.
Funny how it all started five years ago with an unexpected trip to the hospital.
It Felt Life the Flu
Back in February of 2017, Costlow started to come down with what he first thought was a bout with the flu. He felt sick, but nothing out of the ordinary for that time of year.
The bigger problem?
He kept feeling worse, which prompted a trip to the emergency room. What soon transpired was a collapsed lung, a bout with pneumonia, and a diagnosis he never expected.
“I just thought I had a really bad case of the flu but wound up going to the ER, and they come back and tell me I have (lung) cancer,” Costlow recalled. “I’d never smoked, not daily, nor leisurely, no cigarette use—tobacco use of any kind really.
“I was kind of in disbelief until after the biopsy, and they showed me a picture of it.”
His airway was ¾ of the way blocked, and the tumor was 2 CM thick.
“That’s when it really sunk in, and I’ll admit, it was a really scary feeling.”
Costlow said it was a slow-growing, rare carcinoma that results in only around 1,000 cases per year in the United States. Statistically, that’s a small number. But when you happen to be part of that small number, its significance takes on a whole new meaning.
Fortunately for Costlow and his family, the tumor was caught in time. He made his way to the James Cancer Center in Columbus for treatment, and only a small portion of his lung had to be removed. His airway was reconstructed, and then Costlow began the long, but welcome journey to recovery.
Two years later, he decided to give the Peletonia a try.
Not an Active Cyclist
You’ve seen men and women across the Ohio Valley and beyond cycling throughout city streets and country roads every day. Costlow was not one of those people.
Far from it. Never one to turn down a relaxing or lengthy motorcycle ride, but when it came to providing his own pedal power, well …
“I’d never been an active cyclist,” Costlow said. “I think the last time I’d ridden a pedal bike, I was a kid, so I only started getting into it back in 2019.”
Setting off from the ultimate beginner level, Costlow logged 2,000 miles that year on his bike, pushing past limits even he thought he had. Furthermore, he raised more than $2,000 and finished the 100-mile Peletonia.
That spurred him to do another, then another. In fairness, one of those Peletonias took place during the height of COVID. Funds were still raised, but when it came time to ride, Costlow, like all his fellow participants, was forced to ride solo in and around the Upper Ohio Valley to get in his miles.
So, while this year is Costlow’s fourth Peletonia, it’s technically just his third official time participating.
Just like that first year, Costlow’s been preparing himself for the rigors of the ride. No matter how little or much training a person does, there’s always that point in a ride where the physical rigors may feel too great a strain to overcome, and it’s the rider’s mental toughness that must take over.
“It takes a lot of mental toughness because your body will make you want to call it quits,” Costlow said. “It tests your fortitude to see if you can deal with the aches and pains and strains that come along with it, along with the saddle soreness.
“But every time you bike, you will always get to that point where you have to just man up and go deal with it to finish the race. I remember mile marker 80 during my first year, my legs were cramping—everything was cramping—and I thought I’d quit, but I told myself I didn’t come 80 miles to stop now and kept pushing.
“You just check your guts and get rolling.”
Costlow Jr. has overcome a lot in the last five years, facing and passing several gut-check moments. This year, it was his son and father who provided said check. Once again, he passed with flying colors.
While the race is coming up, riders have until October to continue to raise the $2,000 fundraising goal. Anyone wishing to help out may do so by checking out the follow pages for Kevin Jr., Kevin Sr., and Kevin III.
