"You can do anything you set your mind to, man. So lose yourself."
- Eminem
The Pan Mass Challenge is all about beating cancer. The 4600 riders, 3000 volunteers, and countless survivors alongside the road come together to form an incredible community over two days.
Day One Highlights:
- Team Hannah's Bandanas led by Jeff and Karen Packman (in honor of their daughter Hannah, a survivor) takes off like a fury out of the Wellesley start
- High fives on "world famous Cherry Street" -- every house lined up alongside with road with kids' hands reaching out to riders while shouting "THANK YOU"
- Survivors and families line nearly every block and intersection of the route.
- Somewhere after mile 70, a sign caught my eye. A 2'x3'
picture of a young boy. As I got closer, it read "Ryan. Died at 9 years old. Thank you for riding." The sign was held by his mother. I had to go to the back of our paceline and cried for the next mile.
- Lunch consensus: Karen Packman might be the toughest person we know. Climbs the Galibier in the snow a couple of weeks ago, rides 89 miles with a numb leg thanks to a nerve problem. There is no stopping her.
- Tale of the Tape: 89 miles, 21 mph avg.
- No sign of Lance (incredible to say this, but we were ahead of him the entire day! and he skipped the finishing village).
Day Two Highlights: 50 miles with Connor
"Work it, make it, do it, makes us
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger."
--Kanye West
- Wake up to pouring rain
- Proving his McNeill genetics, Connor says, "we're going."
- Not a single mention of not doing it as the rain comes down in sheets on the drive to the start. "This is way easier than having cancer. We can do this for the next 3 hours."
- Fred Hoff and his 12-year old son Ryan on the same program. At the start, rain gear on, ready to ride!
- 88-year-old guy at the start, in the rain, riding the whole course. Wow.
- And like yesterday, we weren't alone. Our girls were there at the start, feed stops and finish. Survivors stood on corners and at the end of drive-ways in the pouring rain to say "Thank You."
- Forecast said 1/4" of rain. Rained 3.5".
- Connor made me really proud today. Amazing guy.
- Support us here: http://www.pmc.org/profile/CM0246
