In some ways, the Pan Mass Challenge is more like a relay race than a bike
ride
Rider registration opens in January. We pick up the baton for another year
and begin training and fundraising.
Through the spring and into summer, we carry that baton, putting in the miles
and inviting others to participate. Some donate, some volunteer, some join the
ride. Some send good wishes. A (very) few ask to be dropped from the mailing
list.
Then, on the first Friday of August, we pick up our rider jerseys and
numbers. More batons!
The 3,000 volunteers pick up volunteer t-shirts (their batons) and head out
to their work stations - bike maintenance, burger flipping, traffic control,
dorm assistance. We could not do the ride without them. God bless them.
By Sunday afternoon the ride is over. We wash and hang up our PMC jerseys to
be worn later. (At our fundraising event in June, we hung my 15 jerseys from the
rafters of the hall!)
You are part of this relay race.
I need your baton, your generous donation to the PMC, to the Dana Farber, to
the fight against cancer.
Without you, the PMC would be just another bike ride and we would not be
making progess in the war on cancer.
The last leg of this year's relay race, the fundraising, closes in a few
short days on October 1st. Help us reach our goal of raising $38 million (and my
personal goal of raising $10,000) to fund the war on cancer!
Please donate now.
Thank you for your support!
With love,
Lee
http://www2.pmc.org/profile/LL0033
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Just Perfect
Just Perfect.
That about sums up the 2013 PMC weekend.
- The check-in at Babson and a pasta dinner at Sweet Basil in Needham on Friday night
- The early morning start on Saturday with perfect weather
- Clicking off the miles with my son Jonathan
- Seeing old (and making new) friends along the route
- A light sprinkle that cooled us off but didn't get us wet!
- Lunch at 47 miles, 9:15 in the morning
- Arriving in Bourne and signing up for a massage
- A hot shower!
- Lots of food in the big tent
- A good, deep massage!
- More food in the big tent
- Connecting with friends and coworkers at the Mass Maritime Academy
- Pasta dinner with the family in Sandwich
- An early start on Sunday morning, with 60 degree temps and clear skies
- Meeting up with our team "Pedal 2 the Mettle" at the breafast stop and giving Amie White a BIG hug!
- Hammering along Route 6A, covering the miles
- Downhill in a tuck
- Teaching Jonathan to ride safely in a paceline
- The ice bench at the Wellfleet water stop
- Enjoying sitting in behind Jonathan as he works hard at the front of a two person paceline, in a headwind
- Showing Jonathan that dad still has some spring in his legs...a hard sprint up the steep hill at Ocean View Drive in Wellfleet, and long hard sprints into the wind on Route 6 coming into Provincetown
- Amy and Rachel waiting for us at the Provincetown finish
- Crossing the finish line in PTown with my son!
- A hot shower!
- More food!
- Hugs, kisses and tears
A few tears shed for the cancer survivors along the way -- pictures along the route, meetings at rest stops, the "thank yous" from the spectators.
We will keep riding until those "thank yous" aren't needed any more!
If you have already donated, thank you! (Please be sure to request a match from your company).
If you haven't donated yet, please follow the link below to donate online. I still need your help to reach my personal goal of raising $10K this year and we all need your help to reach the 2013 PMC goal of raising $38M! Together, we can eradicate cancer!
With love,
Lee
http://www2.pmc.org/profile/LL0033
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Together We Ride
At 6 a.m on Saturday morning, Jonathan and I will set off for Provincetown. With 5,000 other cyclists, and 3,000 volunteers, we will work towards raising $38 million for cancer research.
I am excited about tomorrow...not just because I'm always excited about the first day of the PMC, but also because I am sharing the experience for the first time with my son. And with my daughter Rachel, who will be volunteering with Amy for the first time. A real family event!
We've seen too many friends and family touched by cancer. And this year the PMC has brought us closer, doing our first family fundraiser, training for the ride, prepping for the weekend...
We're part of something much larger...a huge group of people committed to helping eradicate cancer.
And we need your support!
Join the team...donate online via the link below. 100% of all money raised goes directly to fund cancer research.
If you have already donated to this year's PMC fundraising, thank you. (I will send out personal acknowledgements after the event). If your company matches funds, please be sure to submit that matching fund request.
With love,
Lee
http://www2.pmc.org/profile/LL0033
Monday, July 22, 2013
It's Not About the Ride!
Two weeks from now the 2013 Pan Mass Challenge will be complete. Sore
legs, sunburns, a few patched tires, and another step towards
eradicating cancer!
Yesterday, on a long training ride with Jonathan, I once again became present to how much the PMC is about connection rather than the ride. 40 miles into our ride, we were relaxing at a cafe in Concord, enjoying a much-needed mid-ride refill. Normally I would have been anxious to get going, to hit the road, to keep knocking off the miles. Instead we sat and talked, and met a number of other cyclists and tourists passing through Concord.
For me, the PMC is all about connection
I need your support to make this 2013 Pan Mass Challenge a success. I am still a long way from reaching my goal of raising $10,000 and your donation will make a difference.
Please donate online via the link below. 100% of all money raised goes directly to fund cancer research.
If you have already donated, thank you. (I will send out personal acknowledgements after the event). If your company matches funds, please be sure to submit that matching fund request.
With love,
Lee
http://www2.pmc.org/profile/LL0033
Yesterday, on a long training ride with Jonathan, I once again became present to how much the PMC is about connection rather than the ride. 40 miles into our ride, we were relaxing at a cafe in Concord, enjoying a much-needed mid-ride refill. Normally I would have been anxious to get going, to hit the road, to keep knocking off the miles. Instead we sat and talked, and met a number of other cyclists and tourists passing through Concord.
For me, the PMC is all about connection
- Connecting with coworkers who have been involved with the PMC for years, adding another dynamic to our working relationship.
- Connecting with the many volunteers who make the event possible.
- Connecting with my sponsors who, every year, step up and provide the donations that fund cancer research.
- Connecting with the young cancer patients at the rest stops who wonder why everybody wants to talk with them. Some have never known life without cancer. Others will have their lives cut short by it.
I need your support to make this 2013 Pan Mass Challenge a success. I am still a long way from reaching my goal of raising $10,000 and your donation will make a difference.
Please donate online via the link below. 100% of all money raised goes directly to fund cancer research.
If you have already donated, thank you. (I will send out personal acknowledgements after the event). If your company matches funds, please be sure to submit that matching fund request.
With love,
Lee
http://www2.pmc.org/profile/LL0033
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Training, Training, Training
It's the end of May and I've got 325 miles under my belt for the year. Last year at this time I had more than 500 miles in...not that I'm worried...riding the PMC is a well-known quantity at this point. I know where the hills are, where the headwind will pop up, where I can probably catch a draft behind a tandem.
Those are the knowns.
What keeps me riding are the unknowns. Too many friends and family have struggled with cancer. One dear friend received a stage four diagnosis last year. She's now out of treatment, still fighting hard, and optimistic that she will beat the odds. She is a fighter. Another good friend and coworker has been battling for eight years, and plans on riding the PMC again this year. And so many others...
What do we know? We do know that funding cancer research brings results. Every year the PMC raises $35 million or more, with 100% of the money raised going directly to cancer research at the Dana Farber. 100%.
We also know that a living diet and exercise make a fundamental difference in one's health, that you can eat your way to health, just like you can eat your way to illness. Unprocessed food is better than processed food. Fewer ingredients listed on a package are better than more. Fresh vegetables are better than potato chips.
It's a Party!
Join us for some good food and conversation on the evening of Saturday, June 1, in Needham, to raise money for the PMC. Several local restaurants are donating samples of their menus, and we've collected a variety of great auction and raffle items, including a Cape Cod getaway, restaurant, nutrition and healthcare coupons and more.
To join us, please RSVP here
If you can't join us, your online donation is appreciated.
Lee
Those are the knowns.
What keeps me riding are the unknowns. Too many friends and family have struggled with cancer. One dear friend received a stage four diagnosis last year. She's now out of treatment, still fighting hard, and optimistic that she will beat the odds. She is a fighter. Another good friend and coworker has been battling for eight years, and plans on riding the PMC again this year. And so many others...
What do we know? We do know that funding cancer research brings results. Every year the PMC raises $35 million or more, with 100% of the money raised going directly to cancer research at the Dana Farber. 100%.
We also know that a living diet and exercise make a fundamental difference in one's health, that you can eat your way to health, just like you can eat your way to illness. Unprocessed food is better than processed food. Fewer ingredients listed on a package are better than more. Fresh vegetables are better than potato chips.
It's a Party!
Join us for some good food and conversation on the evening of Saturday, June 1, in Needham, to raise money for the PMC. Several local restaurants are donating samples of their menus, and we've collected a variety of great auction and raffle items, including a Cape Cod getaway, restaurant, nutrition and healthcare coupons and more.
To join us, please RSVP here
If you can't join us, your online donation is appreciated.
Lee
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