On Aug.6 and 7 cyclists from Natick and well beyond will embark on rides ranging from 25 to 210 miles for the Pan-Mass Challenge. The annual PMC raises money for research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and is the highest grossing athletic fund raising event in the country.
The Pan-Mass Challenge has 16 official routes, including seven that start in Wellesley at Babson College. The routes are supported by volunteers who run water stations, hand out food to riders, and check participants in at the start. This weekend the PMC will boast 6,800 riders and 3,000 volunteers, and has currently raised just over $35 million, with a goal of raising $66 million total.
This is a big step up from the original ride, which had only 36 riders and 10 volunteers. Even with those small numbers, the event was able to raise $10,200 for Dana-Farber. This initial event was organized by Wellesley’s Billy Starr, who was inspired to start the PMC after he lost his mother to cancer. He continues to organize and head the PMC.
Like Starr, many cyclists either ride because they have had cancer, or because of a loved one who has battled the disease.
Among Natick’s cyclists is Martha Gold, a PMC rider since 2001. In 2004, she formed the Stem Cell Cyclists team in honor of her sister, who died from cancer after receiving a stem cell transplant. She also rides to support her husband, who is treated at Dana-Farber for Lymphoma, in this case a side effect from radiation from Prostate Cancer.
Stem Cell Cyclists
Ways to donate, including in the name of specific riders, can be found here
These Natick residents are listed as participants:
- Eric Berman
- David Boyarsky
- Lisa Burns
- Patrick Cavanagh
- Steven Cohen
- Mike Cohn
- Linc Cornell
- Lois Cornell
- Doug Crossley
- Natali Gingrasfield
- Glen Glater
- Martha Gold
- Bill Grogan
- David Hiller
- Melissa Jacoby
- Robin Kostin
- Pamela Landis
- James Liebowitz
- Andrew Lydon
- Connor Lydon
- John Manning
- Jonathan Migdol
- Dan OConnor
- Jeff Olsen
- Patrick Olski
- Stacey Parikh
- Grafton Pease
- John Portnoy
- Michael Price
- Denise Rosenblum
- Owen Searle
- Virginia Seery
- John Smutko
- Janet Snider
- Karen Snyder
- Larry Ziegler
Please send tips, photos, ideas to natickreport@gmail.com
- Subscribe to our Natick Report daily email
- If you like what we’re doing and want to reach our growing audience, please ask about advertising.
