Bangor Man Battles Tire Up And Down Maple Street As Fundraiser

For almost 10 years, Mike Laliberte has taken on the daunting challenge of flipping a 400-lb tire up and down Maple Street in Bangor.

Tire Flip 3, Mike Laliberte

Laliberte, who had been living with an injured leg (which was eventually amputated) since a hunting accident that happened when he was kid, started his "Tire Flip" challenge in 2015 when someone made the mistake of telling him "'There is no way you can flip that tire a mile with that messed up leg."

Well, the rest I history, as they say.

Since then, he's made it his goal not only to flip that tire with only one leg but also to raise money for Veterans while he's done it.

Tire Flip 4, Mike Laliberte

Laliberte's father was a Purple Heart recipient and a retired Marine, and Laliberte wanted to take the publicity he was getting from his Tire Flip, and put it to good use, shedding light on a cause near and dear to his heart; The Maine Veterans Project.

This year, he has a very specific fundraising goal in mind.

Tire Flip 6, Mike Laliberte

"My fundraiser goal for this year is $32,254. That will bring my four-year fundraising total for MVP to $100,000. The time I am shooting for this year is 2hr 38 min 56 seconds. That will be 2 hrs faster than the first time I successfully completed the challenge. "

Laliberte says he has under $20,000 to go to meet that goal.

Tire Flip 2, Mike Laliberte

"We still have $18,969 with 18 days left till the challenge. "

He says he's been training for this year's event for the past 6 months, starting this past January.

Get our free mobile app

He will start the 2024 "Tire Flip" challenge from his garage at 22 Maple Street at 9 AM on Saturday, June 22. He will flip the tire up and down the street, finishing up back at his garage.

Tire Flip 1, Mike Laliberte

Why does Laliberte continue to put himself and his body through the rigors of such a challenge, year after year?

"The challenge of trying to better my time and fundraising goals is what keeps me going. Trying to do better than the year before.

Funny Niko, my youngest son, asked how many miles I had on the tire so I looked back in my training log, and by the time of the challenge I will have put over 10 miles on it, all end over end."

Tire Flip 5, Mike Laliberte

If you'd like to donate to Laliberte's Tire Flip Challenge, just click here.

The link will remain open for a few days after the challenge ends, until July 4th.

Laliberte says he will also be taking donations, in person, the day of the event, if anyone would like to stop by to cheer him on.