Meet Phi Delta Theta’s ‘Iron Phi’ Nick Helton

Nick Helton, a junior business major and Phi Delta Theta fraternity member, tested his endurance by biking across North Carolina to visit each Phi Delta chapter as part of the Iron Phi Challenge, a national philanthropy initiative to raise money and awareness for ALS research.

Along his journey, Helton not only pushed his physical limits, but built connections with fellow fraternity brothers across the state, embodying the values of perseverance, brotherhood and service.

“I like to do things that no one else can say they’ve done,” Helton said. “The amount of people who can say they’ve biked across the state is few; when I add in the part about visiting every Phi Delt chapter, it’s probably zero.”

Born in Cary, North Carolina, Helton always has been athletic and thrill-driven. He grew up playing baseball, hockey and wrestling. While Helton didn’t have much experience with long-distance biking, his passion for philanthropy and determination to make an impact pushed him through to the end of the challenge, proving that his drive to help others outweighed any obstacles on the road.

“I wanted it so bad that it didn’t matter to me how long it was; I knew I would get it done,” said Helton.

Helton shares more about his journey across North Carolina and the biggest challenge he faced in this Q&A.

What is Phi Delta Theta’s philanthropy, and what specific events does your chapter hold to raise money for the philanthropy?

Our philanthropy is supporting ALS, and under that, we raise money for the Live Like Lou Foundation. We always host Pie-A-Phi, where you donate to pie a brother. We only do a couple of events here and there, which is one of the reasons why I did the Iron Phi Challenge, because I wanted to do more for our philanthropy.

Did you have a team with you?

I did it with my dad. He brought the car with essentials I might need, and I would see him at the hotel in the morning and at night. I saw him probably every two hours, as he would cruise by in the car and check up on me. I slept at hotels for the most part, but when I got to each chapter, I would sleep there.

What was the biggest challenge you faced on this journey?

The Appalachian Mountains right near Appalachian State University were my biggest challenge. I got very far behind on my schedule in the mountains. I had planned around 70 to 100 miles a day. I got to the Appalachian Mountains, and it was all uphill. After about 30 to 40 miles in the mountains, I was exhausted. That put me behind a good bit, but I was able to catch up when I went downhill. My first three days were the hardest, but as the days went on, it did get easier in terms of terrain.

What did your training plan look like?

I definitely was underprepared for this challenge. I was using a stationary bike for two to three hours at a time, which is around 30 to 40 miles. But on my trip, it was eight to nine hours a day for a week, so it was a big jump for sure.

How did UNC Charlotte play a role in this?

UNC Charlotte provided me with equipment. I rented a few things from the library, like a GoPro and a hotspot. I was inspired by a guy named Max Neff in Pi Kappa Alpha at UNC Charlotte, who biked from California to Washington, D.C., over the summer. I thought that was super inspiring, and I wanted to do something like that.