I am excited to announce that this August I will be riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC). The PMC is the single largest athletic fundraiser in the nation. I will be participating in the two-day, 192-mile event, from Sturbridge, MA to the tip of Cape Cod. I am thrilled to be riding with the CRUS11TOUR team in honor of my late friend Davey Hovey. In September 2015, Davey was diagnosed with Stage IV Glioblastoma (brain cancer). The disease took him far too early, at the age of 26. During that time, he dedicated himself to fundraising for cancer research and coined this effort the CRUS11TOUR.

In the summer of 2016, he played a 100 hole golf round and raised $133,000. From there he organized a Boston Marathon team that raised over $407,000 and crossed the finish line just two months after he passed. The CRUS11TOUR legacy lives on through the second Boston Marathon team running in 2018 and now a PMC team that has grown from three riders in 2017 to 76 riders in 2018! We will ride the two-day 192-mile bike-a-thon carrying his college lacrosse number #11 on our backs from the border of CT to Cape Cod.

Davey and I both grew up in Simsbury, CT with a passion for lacrosse. However, it wasn’t merely the lacrosse field that drew us together. Our friendship was truly born in the Pappas family backyard. Andrew (Pappas), Jake (Pappas), John (Pappas), Davey (Hovey), Tommy (Hovey), and I spent countless hours competing on the backyard diamond, rink, and field. Whatever the sport, Tommy, Jake and I would fall short to the powerhouse that was: Davey, Andrew, and John. As we grew we transitioned from the backyard to the back of the Chatham Squire; a small town Cape Cod bar we spent our summer Saturday nights in. It was a shocking transition to go from all this to Davey’s diagnosis. However, Davey’s dedication to the CRUS11TOUR truly inspired me and everyone around him.

I look forward to riding in memory of Davey and enjoying an ice-cold beverage in his honor at the finish line. Any contribution to my PMC ride is greatly appreciated. The funds will specifically be going to neuro-oncology research performed by Davey’s doctor Dr. David Reardon at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. #crus11tour #keepthefaith #thisonesfordavey