"When the book about how cancer was cured is written, the story of the Pan-Mass Challenge will be chapter #1."
- Dr. Edward J. Benz (former) President; Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston
Summers typically include plenty of travel for student-athletes, whether they're traveling home, taking part in an internship or studying abroad. This weekend, Sophie Antonioli of the track and field team is ready for a much different type of travel. The rising senior is set to bike ride almost 200 miles from Sturbridge to Provincetown in Massachusetts, all to raise funds for cancer research.
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Antonioli is taking part in the Pan-Mass Challenge through the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, an event with a goal of raising $60 million for the fight against cancer.
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"My dad has ridden for the past 11 years," said Sophie. "Every weekend, we'd drop him at 4 a.m. at the starting line in Sturbridge or meet him at the finish line. I have two sisters and all of us are athletic, so he's been asking, 'When am I going to get one of my girls to ride with me?'"
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This is the year for Sophie, who is biking for several family members, and everyone around the world who battles cancer.
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"My dad's side of the family especially has had a lot of interactions with cancer," said Sophie. "My grandfather passed away from melanoma six months before I was born and I never got to meet him. His wife (my grandmother) had carcinoma in her skull and ended up having a surgery called Mohs surgery. She is in remission and is cancer free now. Most recently, one of my first cousins on my dad's side as well was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer last summer at 28.
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"That hit us all hard," Sophie continued. "She was obviously very young, but she has spent the last year fighting cancer and we are so lucky how everything went with her. She went through multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, the whole deal. It's been about 13 months and she is cancer free."
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Thankfully, Antonioli's cousin is now cancer free, but Sophie knows cancer can affect anyone at any time. With that in mind, she wants to make a difference.
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Antonioli is making a difference through Dana-Farber's signature event. The Pan-Mass Challenge features multiple distances. Sophie is set to ride alongside her father in the longest route, 192 miles over Saturday and Sunday. The first day features a little over 100 miles, with the rest on Sunday.
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"Honestly, I'm not sure exactly how long it will take," said Antonioli. "We'll start around 5:30 Saturday morning. Saturday night, we'll stay at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy right next to the Bourne Bridge. The dorms there will be filled with the Pan-Mass riders."
Antonili on the track
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The Pan-Mass Challenge was founded in 1980. The ultimate goal of the event, as detailed on its website, is to "attain maximum fundraising efficiency while increasing its annual gift. Our hope and aspiration is to provide Dana-Farber's doctors and researchers with the necessary resources to discover cures for all cancers."
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"It's a classic cliché to say, but chances are cancer has had (or will have) some sort of impact on everyone. That's something people should keep in mind when considering supporting," said Antonioli. "The statistics about the amount of money the PMC has raised, and how much the event has grown since it started, is amazing."
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Sophie is prepared for what should be an amazing weekend.
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"I have been training with my dad," she said. "I was expecting to have a little bit more training under my belt, but I'm really not that concerned because we can take it slowly and just finish. There's no real competition. At the beginning of my summer, my dad said if I could ride to Wachusett Mountain, up Wachusett and back – which is about 75 miles from home (Acton, Massachusetts) – then I should be in good shape. We did that on Saturday.
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"That gives me a little confidence boost going into this weekend."
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It's important to keep in mind that the PMC isn't meant to be a race. The riders aren't focused on beating each other, but they do have a common goal… beating cancer.
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"The streets are lined with people from nearby towns," said Sophie. "Sometimes, young kids who are struggling with cancer or are in remission come out, so it's not meant for people to race to the finish line."
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Antonioli is used to racing to the finish line on the track at Lehigh, but this time, she will head to the finish line with something much bigger in mind.
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"If you're from Massachusetts, you have heard of the Pan-Mass Challenge," she said. "The outreach and exposure it's been able to gain has been awesome. It's a great example of how unity and people coming together to fight this terrible disease makes an impact."
