22 Groton Locals to Ride in 2015 Pan-Mass Challenge
On Aug. 1 and 2, 22 residents from Groton will participate in the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC), the largest single athletic fundraising event in the country.
Riders from Groton are: Joan McNamara, James Greacen, Laura Pollard, Raymond Murphy, Charles McKinney, Bill Provost, Patricia Upton, Robert Anctil, Damon Irby, Matthew Hickcox, Stephen Clickner, Kenneth Jeffries, Jacqueline Baker, Karen Hartzell, Kevin Barrett, Richard Tortolini, Peter Difranco, Douglas Furciniti, Kathleen Falls, Travis Anctil, Joseph Howard, and Haley Pollard.
They will be among 6,000 cyclists who will ride with the collective goal of raising $45 million to support adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through the Jimmy Fund.
During PMC weekend, cyclists unite to become one extended family. The camaraderie shared by thousands of cyclists, spectators and volunteers, is one reason cyclists from 40 states and five countries will return to Massachusetts to participate in the PMC, choosing from 12 routes of varying mileage that run through 46 towns.
Cyclists range in age from 13 to 82. Some are seasoned triathletes while others are weekend warriors having trained for this event alone. Many participants ride in honor of a family member or friend lost to, or being treated for, cancer. The average cyclist trains for three months, solicits 40 sponsors, and raises more than $6,500. Doctors ride alongside their patients; grandparents ride with their grandchildren; and others show support from the sidelines in the form of donations and cheers. More than 600 riders and volunteers are cancer survivors or current patients, considered "Living Proof" of the PMC mission to find a cure.
"The PMC brings people together from all walks of life, from all over the country and the world. This is what makes ride weekend such a unique and momentous occasion," said Billy Starr, founder and executive director of the PMC. "This year, we are prouder than ever to have over 6,000 cyclists coming beat our $45 million fundraising goal.
No other single athletic event raises or contributes more money to charity than the PMC. Since 1980, the PMC has raised more than $455 million, and if this year's $45 million goal is reached, PMC's total funds raised since its inception will total a half billion dollars for Dana-Farber. In fact, the PMC is Dana-Farber's largest single contributor, raising more than 50 percent of the Jimmy Fund's annual revenue.
PMC is presented by the Red Sox Foundation and the New Balance Foundation.
To become a virtual rider, or make a financial contribution to a rider from your town, visit www.pmc.org, or call (800) WE-CYCLE. Connect with #PMC2015
