2025 will be my sixth year riding the full PMC (12, 13, 14…23, 24, 25)...and as most of you know this ride has so much meaning for me, given Ilana’s experience last year. As I sat to begin writing this note last year, I was tearing up…waiting for Ilana to come out of her 20th and final radiation appointment and ring the bell!

After five years of doing the ride, I know that nothing ever prepares me for the emotional experience from Friday night through Sunday afternoon that first weekend in August. This year I’ll again be carrying all of the emotions with me! The things that make the Pan Mass Challenge so special for me each year include:

• The camaraderie and togetherness of the riders and volunteers (4,000+ riders lining up on bikes at 4am in Sturbridge for the start of the day 1 ride is an insane sight!)
• The cheering spectators lining the entire route
• Cherry Street in Wrentham
• The volunteers who make it all possible
• The survivors who come out to watch and share their stories

I ride because cancer sucks, and I ride because I still can! I ride to raise money and get the ride done, not to race. I ride for Dana Farber Cancer Institute and The Jimmy Fund, to provide individually (and through all of you) a small piece of funding of all the research that’s been done throughout the years. The funds we raise during the Pan Mass Challenge facilitate cutting edge research and treatments into all types of cancer, to be deployed at cancer centers around the world…and it’s my hope that we can someday rid the world of cancer. This year, for everyone following the news, lots of organizations we’ve historically seen as pillars of the northeast medical research community (Harvard, Dana Farber, Mass General, NIH, etc.) have seen research funding reduced, curtailed or eliminated entirely. I don’t say this from a political position…but from a human perspective…private donations for cancer research are unfortunately even more important now! Cancer is real. Medicine is real. Research is real! Real people and their families get affected by it every day, and I need to do my part to keep it going!

I am fortunate to be healthy...I am capable...I can ride! Some people who've been affected by cancer can no longer ride...some have lost their battle and I ride in their honor. For those still fighting, I ride to do my small part to raise money for finding a cure or making their treatment more routine! I ride each year in honor of the names my contributors send me....I ride for them...For those that sent names in the past, the list is still on my handlebar, and they will continue to push me up the hills when my legs don't want to do the work themselves. I've got more names each year to help motivate me...and I want to ride for you and for your loved ones!

Since the event started in 1980, the Pan Mass Challenge has raised $1,047,000,000 for Dana Farber Cancer Institute / The Jimmy Fund. Last year’s social media tagline was #OneInABillion and I have again made the commitment to raise $6,000 and to ride the whole course again...from Sturbridge to Bourne on day 1 (110 miles)....and from Bourne to Provincetown on day 2 (78 miles). Last year people went pretty crazy and moved me into heavy hitter category…together we raised $11,436.75. I'm a proud supporter of the PMC because it is leading the charge to beat cancer. In fact, every year 100% of rider-raised revenue goes directly to support the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's tireless commitment to finding a cure. The flag I signed last year that lined my finish in Provincetown is in the two images below…one shows the whole flag…and the other shows the zoomed in bottom right hand corner…where many of the names you asked me to think about were written down to give me strength! Forgive the sloppy handwriting…I was tired after 110 miles…crouching down (probably cramping)…and most definitely crying!

Please help me help the fight! Because we still can! The PMC has made it incredibly easy to donate right here online https://profile.pmc.org/JD0404.

I realize some folks might prefer the old fashioned check route...I'll happily accept it that way too (or gold bars, diamonds, etc.)...please make checks payable to either: Pan Mass Challenge, or The Jimmy Fund, or Dana Farber Cancer Institute and mail them to me at: John Downes 22 Rickey Drive Framingham, MA 01702

I also realize that many people ride the PMC and ask for your support. If you’re already supporting others, please keep doing so! I’ve taken several years off and folks have adjusted their contributions accordingly. If you’re so inclined, support me too! If you know of other people who would be interested in supporting an amazing cause, please forward this along to them with my appreciation!

Send me the names of people you want me to remember as I ride…feel free to send me a story.

Thanks,

JD

PMC donations are tax deductible and 100% will go to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

The PMC's tax ID / EIN is 04-2746912.