By Christopher Tremblay, Staff Sports Writer

In 1980 Billy Starr founded the Pan Mass Challenge, and over those years the PMC has raised more money for charity than any other single fundraising event in the country. 

The Dana Farber Cancer Institute, a world leader in adult and pediatric cancer treatment and research, has been the primary recipient. During that first year, there were 36 riders and 10 volunteers who were able to raise $10,200; today there are over 6800 riders and another three thousand volunteers that have managed to raise $767 million.

Alan and Nancy Cantor of Ashland have been participating in the ride for the majority of its existence. Alan has been involved with the PMC for 29 years, while his wife Nancy has gotten aboard her bike for 23. 

While working at Landmark World Wide an employee brought in a video of the PMC and Nancy was hooked. Unfortunately, working fulltime she wasn’t able to properly train and didn’t participate in the actual ride and the next year she was once again sidelined, as she was pregnant with her son. Eventually Nancy was able to take to the road on her bike when her son was 6 years old, and a friend watched him during her ride.

One year after Nancy’s original thought of taking part I the PMC Alan decided he was going to take on the challenge.

“The first time that I had ever heard about the PMC was when I read a pamphlet on the event and as I did a voice in my head said that I had to do this for the kids,” he said. “I had never ridden more than 10 miles in any given day, so I got out my very old and heavy bike and started riding it to and from work (Arlington into Boston 8 miles each way) so that I could prepare myself for the 192-mile trek.”

That first year was somewhat of an experience where Alan found himself riding alone but he did hook up with people he knew and others he didn’t here and there along the route. 

“Back in the early days there were not a lot of riders, so I was just out there to ride the course. The benefit was meeting new people along the course that you would ride with and most you would never see again,” Alan said.

In addition to having few riders, there was no real commitment to donation minimums as they have today. Alan earned $1,600 for Dana Farber that first year and since 2007 he has been a heavy hitter in donations. This year, with a goal of raising $28,000, he is looking to surpass $250,000 in donations since his first ride. 

The Cantors not only rode for the PMC, but they adopted a pedal partner in Declan Rourke, their stepdaughter’s nephew, who had been diagnosed with a serious brain cancer that carried a very low survival rate at the age of 1.

Six years into Alan’s participation of the PMC Nancy finally got her chance to get on her bike and aid the cause. 

 “Alan and I ride separate from one another and during my first year (around 1998 or 99) I had been training with someone throughout the year but come the day of the ride she didn’t ride with me,” Nancy said. “So, I basically rode the first 40-miles of the 192-mile event by myself. Eventually I started connecting and talking with other riders to pass the time.”

In her sixth campaign she joined the Stem Cell Cyclist team under the guidance of Dr.  Corey Cutler. While she was riding for Stem Cell, two of her co-workers’ husbands had stem cell transplants performed by Dr. Cutler not knowing that was the group Nancy rode with and they donated to each year.

“Riding with Dr. Cutler I’ve gotten to know him and form a relationship,” she said. “People know what we are funding and it’s been great. It feels really good to make a difference.”

In 2019 Nancy had to once again forego the PMC weekend as she was in a serious cycling accident during a training ride and was forced to spend the next three weeks in the hospital and doing rehab. Having no real ride last year due to Covid-19,  she is very motivated in two ways to get back onto her bike and take part in the PMC.

“This year Declan is 16 years old, and he will be riding with his mom (Mel Pepin), and I want them to feel comfortable in their first year (unlike mine) so I will be riding with them on Saturday,” Nancy said, “Secondly I want to break the $100,000 mark (she needs $6743 in donations to do so this year).”

At the time of this writing Nancy had already surpassed her early total to get her over the $100,000 mark during her 23 years with close to $7000 in donations.

Nancy has been more than impressed with young Declan’s optimism about preparing for the event on Aug. 7. During a 30-mile practice ride in 95-degree heat Declan continued to push forward.

With this is 29th year riding for PMC Alan is hoping to be able to ride for another 20 years.

“As long as my legs allow me to turn the pedals, then I’ll be back,” he said. “The benefit outweighs everything else, especially Declan being alive. This has become something that I am very passionate about.”