The Optimist Rides Again

Registration for the Pan Mass Challenge opens in January, and for each of the past 14 years, I have logged on to the PMC website, confirmed my registration information, accepted the various commitments and disclaimers, and hit the registration button.

The first day of registration fell between several of the many snowstorms we've had this year. The seemingly unending snow did give me pause for thought. Will it ever stop snowing? Will I be able to get out on the road to train before June? What will the economy be like this year? Will people donate as they have in years past?

Then I pressed the registration button. I have faith that just as the weather will turn and the snow will melt, we will once again raise some $35 million for cancer research and the Jimmy Fund.

We have made great strides in cancer research, yet last year we also lost more than a few great people to the disease. Laurent Fignon, a two-time winner of the Tour de France, lost his fight with cancer in August. Fignon was just a month older than I am. A good friend, Steven Gainsboro, lost his fight with brain cancer in December.

So I ride. I am a cheerleader for the PMC, for fundraising, for the eradication of cancer. I see the possibility of a day when people no longer have to suffer through chemotherapy, to quietly endure the extended after-effects of chemo, to have to grieve for those they've lost.

With your help, we can fund the research that will bring that day closer.

To donate please visit the PMC website. Fully 100% of every dollar raised goes to cancer research. If you have already donated, thank you!

Thank you,

Lee