In 2009, TTDad stumbled upon a crazy idea, and if you know TTDad, you know he can’t pass up a crazy idea.
So, we found ourselves on the way to Sturbridge, that first weekend in August, 2009.
We had no idea what we were getting into.
None.
We weren’t able to find a hotel room on Friday night, near Sturbridge, so we were planning on going Friday to register, then coming home, and leaving again Saturday -early- morning to get to the starting line on time. We would have Marley with us, also.
We were completely blown away by this event, and it has become one of our favorites, each year.
As such, I tend to talk mostly about the good stuff. If you’ve been in a room with me, for any length of time, I’ve probably (over)shared about the Pan-Mass Challenge. The energy, the camaraderie, the powerful emotions… all are overwhelming, and amazing.
But there’s more.
The PMC is the largest single athletic event fundraiser in the country, and the single largest donor to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, which are both impressive stats, to be sure.
Perhaps more amazing is the fact that 100% of rider-raised funds get donated directly to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. 100%. Whatever you can spare to donate, is exactly what will be donated, which is almost unheard of. 100%.
This year, TTDad joined 6,199 other riders, and completed his 9th PMC. I joined 3,999 other volunteers for my 8th year involved.
There are many routes to choose from, each with a different fundraising minimum. For the original two-day Sturbridge to Provincetown- the 2017 fundraising minimum was $4,800, with the lowest minimum route starting at $500. With such impressive fundraising minimums, you know the riders aren’t coming from more than 40 states, and seven countries, just because it sounds cool.
Six hundred riders and volunteers are considered ‘Living Proof,’ meaning they are current cancer patients, or cancer survivors.
While major strides are being made to identify markers, and treatments for various types of cancer, I know I’m not alone in feeling like my personal friends and family are being hit more and more each year. In three days, we join forces with a powerful organization, and so many wonderful people, to make a larger impact than we could ever even think of doing on our own.
Every participant has a story, and those stories are personal, and powerful.
If you’d like more information about the PMC, click here.
If you’d like to join our fight, please click here to donate!