The Pan-Mass Challenge is almost here and we’re really looking forward to cheering on our riders, Peter Ward and Bruce Berfield. Volunteer Jason Ruff promises to update us along the course!
Peter and Bruce have been fundraising and training for months. We’d like to take a blog post to recognize them for all their hard work, and to publish their stories one more time. Maybe this will inspire a few more donations!
Ten more days, let’s all hope for a break in this heat for our riders!
From Peter:
Dear Friends,
Thanks to everyone that has supported me ! I appreciate it more than I can say.
10 Days until we ride ! We’ll see what Mother Nature has in store but come rain, heat, locusts we’ll be out there. Please keep us riders in your thoughts and I encourage you to do something, anything, to raise awareness, money, give time or even visit someone battling cancer. It makes a difference !
I ride in memory of my Mother who passed away in July 2012 after a long battle with Ovarian cancer and for countless friends and family.
Our family gathered in New York City this past January 1st and went to the opera to celebrate my father’s birthday. (Yes I went to the Opera ! It was awesome too!) As we surprised him with a cake and champagne toast during one of the intermissions my Mom’s presence was apparent and the love she has for us and the world urges me to continue….
I’ve been training hard for the 37th Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC), the nation’s largest sports fundraising event raising money for research and care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI). I will be one of 6,000 cyclists attempting to raise a record $46 million ! This success is the result of a lot of people riding for, and caring about, a cure. And because every penny matters, 100% of every donation goes to DFCI.
Here’s a link to my profile where you can donate and see some pics. Many more coming !
http://www2.pmc.org/profile/PW0100
I’ve made a personal commitment to ride and raise as much as I can. So I hope you can help me achieve this significant goal.
To learn more about the Pan-Mass Challenge, please visit www.pmc.org.
And, from Bruce:
Thanks to all my friends and family who have donated. I really appreciate the help and so far we have raised $3,500 for cancer research. Raising money for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is the core of the PMC mission. Since 2007, 100% of every dollar PMC cyclists raised goes directly to the Jimmy Fund. Since 1980, the PMC has contributed $500 million, which finances research in its earliest stages.
Training for the Pan-Mass Challenge has been as rewarding as it has been challenging. Over the last several weeks I have completed the Boston Marathon route on several occasions and have trained on the Pan-Mass Challenge route. During an adventurous ride to a family cook out in Western Mass I realized GPS is not always better than a map.
I ride in honor of Bob Mileweski and in memory of Brian Davis. Compared to the struggles of daily life for a cancer patient the grueling training rides to and from Boston are a walk in the park. With only 10 days left to go the PMC is fast approaching, If a first time rider can ever be ready I am ready to complete this 200 mile challenge.
Here’s a link to my fundraising page. Please consider a donation: http://profile.pmc.org/BB0251
Best of luck to Peter and Bruce, we can’t wait to hear from you post-race!
-L&D thoughts
-Have a thought on our blog post? Please comment below, we love to start new discussions!