Speak with UP Home Health & Hospice about grief support, plus get prepared for this weekend’s Marji Gesick

UMT talks about grief support.(Jake Strange)

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) – September brings about suicide awareness month, and with the winter months approaching, it is common to experience grief more frequently or more intensely.

Speak with UP Home Health & Hospice about their grief support programs available to patients and families of patients, as well as options that are available to the community.

Next, grab your bike and hit the trails this weekend for the 906 Adventure Team’s annual Marji Gesick mountain bike race.

Described as the hardest bike race in America, see what riders and support crews can expect on the course.

But first, TV6 and FOX UP’s MK DiVirgilio and Upper Michigan Today’s Elizabeth Peterson sit down to talk about the news stories of the day!

MK and Elizabeth talk about the stories of the day.

MK and Elizabeth sit down to meet with UP Home Health & Hospice Communications Director Kori Bjorne and Volunteer and Bereavement Coordinator Leslie Parkkonen about grief support.

We will all eventually experience loss and the subsequent grief from those losses at some point throughout our lives.

Bjorne and Parkkonen talk about grief support that they provide to patients and their families, as well as the local community.

UP Home Health & Hospice discusses grief support

Next up, Bjorne and Parkkonen talk about several upcoming events involving grief support that are available to the community.

Several grief support groups will be taking place throughout the community, and anyone who may be experiencing grief or loss is encouraged to attend.

Also, UP Home Health & Hospice talks about volunteer training opportunities that are available through their organization for anyone who may want to get involved.

To register for volunteer training, or for more information, call 906-428-4545.

Learn about volunteer opportunities available.

Up next, flip topics and talk about this weekend’s upcoming Marji Gesick mountain bike race.

906 Adventure Team Director of Adventure Todd Poquette join the Upper Michigan Today crew detail what riders can expect on the 15-mile, 50-mile, 100-mile, or 200-mile courses available.

Described as the “hardest race in America”, the Marji Gesick will test riders physical and mental endurance, pushing them to their farthest limits.

Talk to 90 Adventure Team’s Todd Poquette about the upcoming Marji Gesick.

Up next, TV6 and FOX UP’s very own Mandy Koskela, and Marji Gesick 200 participant Ben Alter join MK and Elizabeth in the studio to detail their experiences with mountain biking, and to share their plans for this weekend’s upcoming race.

Talk with FOX UP’s Mandy Koskela and MG200 participant Ben Alter about their plans for the race.

Koskela and Alter show off their own bikes, and some of the equipment that they will be bringing along to help keep them in the race.

Look at some of their favorite nutrition options that will be consumed to offset the caloric deficit of such a physically demanding race.

Mandy and Ben talk about the bikes they will be using and the gear they will bring on the trails.

Finally, go over some of the challenges that riders will face, including riding in the dark throughout the middle of the night.

Alter details his experience with riding in the dark and the practice regiment he put in place to help prepare for the race.

MK and Elizabeth wrap it up with Mandy and Ben.

More information about the Marji Gesick, or about the 906 Adventure Team can be found at 906AT: More Than An Area Code, A Lifestyle (906adventureteam.com)

You can watch Upper Michigan Today on weekdays at 9:00 am on FOX UP or stream the show on your smart device.