28 Waltham Residents To Ride In 2020 Pan-Mass Challenge

WALTHAM, MA– More than 10,000 participants, including 28 participants from Waltham, will take part in the 2020 Pan-Mass Challenge, a bike-a-thon that raises millions of dollars each year for cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

The organization’s traditional annual ride usually includes 12 routes spanning 25 to 192 miles throughout the first weekend of August. This year, rather than having participants ride the same routes, the challenge has no set route Saturday, August 1.

And the Opening Ceremony will be held virtually, broadcast on WBZ to kick things off on Friday, July 31.

Each year people participate to honor a family member or friend who has battled cancer, while more than 940 riders and volunteers are cancer survivors or current patients themselves—considered "Living Proof" of the progress made in cancer research and treatment, according to the organization.

Every rider-raised dollar is donated directly to Dana-Farber through its fundraising arm, the Jimmy Fund, accounting for more than 57 percent of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue In 2019, the PMC donated a record-breaking $63 million to Dana-Farber, bringing its 40-year contribution to more than $717 million.

"It is thanks to the unwavering passion and commitment of our riders, volunteers, donors and sponsors that the PMC can continue to make tangible impact on advancements in cancer research and treatment, even through this difficult time," said Billy Starr, founder and executive director of the challenge.

The organization released a list of Waltham's 28 participants:

• Meghan Kopaska
• Danielle Tagg
• Laurel Ainslie
• Anthony Aiudi
• Olga Bitsakis
• Raphael Cohen
• Kevin Corley
• Chip Daley
• Jennifer Doboszynski
• Michele Driscoll
• Neal Fay
• Nicholas Gregoretti
• Alice Hunter
• Rick Luppy
• Kathy Luppy
• Vamsi Maganti
• Daniel McCarthy
• Paul Monahan
• Kelly Palmer
• Jonathan Palmer
• S. Jamie Rudavsky
• Lauren Rushton
• Robert Sasso
• David Schumacher
• John Tracy
• Monty Villatoro
• Theresa Welsh
• Karen Wright

To make a financial contribution to a rider from your town or to become a virtual rider, visit www.pmc.org, or call (800) WE-CYCLE.