About
the PMC:
The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC), presented by
the Boston Red Sox, is the nation’s original
fundraising bike-a-thon and today raises more money
– two to three times more money – than any other
athletic fundraising event in the country. Since its
inception in 1980, the PMC has been increasingly
successful in mobilizing cyclists, volunteers,
corporate sponsors and individual donors toward a
common goal: a world free of cancer. The PMC is a
model of efficiency for all nonprofit organizations.
Beginning in 1993, the PMC has donated more than 93 cents of every
rider-raised dollar directly to cancer research and
treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through
its Jimmy Fund. The PMC generates 50 percent of the
Jimmy Fund's annual revenue. The PMC has raised and
donated
nearly $122 million to the
Jimmy Fund over its 25-year history - crucial funds that are making
a difference in the lives of cancer patients around
the world.
The Ride:
The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge is a fully supported
bike-a-thon which provides food and water stops,
mechanical and medical assistance, luggage
transportation and lodging through 46 towns across
Massachusetts. Cyclists choose from six routes of
varying mileage designed to cater to all levels of
cycling strength and time availability. Two-day
rides include the original 192-mile Sturbridge to
Provincetown route; 186-mile
Sturbridge-Bourne-Wellesley route; 169-mile
Wellesley-Bourne-Provincetown route; or the 166-mile
Wellesley-Bourne-Wellesley route. One-day riders
cycle the 108-mile Sturbridge-Bourne, or the 89-mile
Wellesley-Bourne routes. Cyclists must raise between
$2,000 and $3,000 to ride in the PMC, depending on
the chosen route.
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When:
The annual PMC will be held on the first weekend in August. It begins on
Friday with an
opening ceremony that will be televised live for a
potential viewing audience of three million New
Englanders on
New England Cable
News. The ride will
start in Sturbridge and Wellesley on Saturday, Aug.
5 and end on Sunday, Aug. 6 at finish lines in
Wellesley and Provincetown.
Who:
Nearly 4,000 cyclists from 40 U.S. states and six
countries will ride in PMC 2005. More than 160
riders will be cancer survivors or current patients.
Some PMC cyclists are weekend warriors, others are
trained triathletes. Some PMC participants rode in
honor of a family member or friend fighting the
disease. Cyclists range in age from 15 to 81. The
average PMC cyclist is 42 years old, trains for
three months, solicits 37 sponsors and raises
$4,300. During PMC weekend, 1,900 volunteers donate
their time and nearly 200 corporations provided
in-kind products or service.
Growth:
|
Year
|
Riders
|
Contribution
|
|
1980
|
36
|
$10,200
|
|
1985
|
472
|
$250,000
|
|
1990
|
980
|
$1.3
million
|
|
1995
|
1,715
|
$3.5
million
|
|
2000
|
2,847
|
$12.5
million
|
|
2003
|
3,584
|
$16.2
million
|
|
2004
|
4,000
|
$17
million
|
|
2005
|
4,000
|
$21
million
|
|
2006 |
|
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