Pan Mass Challenge 2011: The Training and Fundraising Begin

While things are still mighty cold and snowbound here in New England, and it's difficult to think about bicycling in this weather, I signed up a couple of weeks ago to ride in my eighth Pan Mass Challenge.  (It will be my second on a recumbent bike.)  For those of you not familiar with the PMC, it's the granddaddy of all athletic fundraisers, and last year alone raised over $30 million for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute's Jimmy Fund.  Thanks to the ride's sponsors, every penny of every donation goes directly to the Dana Farber.  Over 5000 riders get out on the road for the first weekend in August, and ride a variety of routes and distances, supported by many, many others, who are out cheering us on by the side of the road, are volunteering at the water stops, and who open their hearts and checkbooks.  I'll be riding the original route – Sturbridge to Provincetown, about 200 miles over two days – over the first weekend in August.

I invite you to join me in the fight to lick cancer. 

Please check out my Pan Mass Challenge profile, where you can read about my reasons for riding and some of my experiences on past years' rides (there are links from my profile page to photos and tweets from the road, too), and you can donate to the cause with just a few clicks.  I also invite you to join my PMC Facebook group so you can follow along virtually as I train for the ride (it'll get more interesting as the weather improves) and you can see some (ahem) interesting photos of me and my biking buddies.

Thanks for your support.

David Harlow
The Harlow Group LLC
Health Care Law and Consulting