Seventh-grader marks birthday in a unique way

Fort Scott Middle School seventh-grader Jarrett Lyon celebrates his 13th birthday by riding 13 miles on his unicycle the day before Thanksgiving. Jarrett is pictured near the halfway point of his journey south of Fort Scott. (Submitted Photo)

Other 13 year olds might get their ears pierced, have some friends over or a night out for their birthdays. But Jarrett Lyon decided he'd mark his 13th birthday by riding 13 miles on his unicycle.

Lyon was inspired by his neighbor down the block, Cameron Bishop, who also has a unicycle. "I thought 'why not' one day and just did it," Lyon said.

The youngster said he hadn't ridden it much before making the trek which took him all the way down Horton Street, bearing right and then left on Kansas Highway 7 before returning to home. The unicycle, which previously belonged to his uncle Kent Lyon, comes to above Jarrett's waist. Jarrett is 5-foot-10 inches tall.

How did Lyon feel afterward? "Tired," he said. "You can't glide. You're moving the tire itself. There's no coasting on a unicycle."

His grandfather, Ken Lyon, followed Jarrett to make sure he was OK.

He says he'll still ride the one-wheeled conveyance even after his journey.

Ken Lyon said the unicycle is well traveled. He purchased it when he lived in Las Vegas, then it went to Europe, Virginia and Kansas where it spent the better part of the last 25 years in Ken's garage.

"He (Jarrett) did really well and learned to ride (the unicycle) in such a short period of time," Ken Lyon said. "The unicycle is not easy to learn to ride. It's a direct drive. There's no coasting. Even going downhill, you can't coast." You have to brake.

"It's a challenge to learn to ride. I'm impressed with how quickly he picked it up," Ken Lyon said.

Jarrett is the son of Kevin and Michele Lyon and attends Fort Scott Middle School.