A Chatham man just embarked on a long bike ride, which could possibly kill him in the end, all in the name of medical research.

John Schwenk left New York City for a 5,800-mile journey to Alaska, which he will complete by riding a bike.

Schwenk has a rare heart condition and his doctors have told him that exercise could kill him. He is putting his heart under duress so that it can be researched as part of a medical experiment, which could help him in the long run.

Schwenk rode into the Delaware Water Gap Tuesday and will head to Pennsylvania Wednesday. The trip is expected to take months.

You can follow Schwenk’s journey on his website.