By Richard Kaufman
When Alyson Leppla told her students at Eastern Middle School that she was training for a 192-mile bicycle ride, they thought it sounded a little out there. But when she explained to them why, their reaction spoke volumes.
From Aug. 4-5, Leppla, along with thousands of other cyclists from all over, will trek from Sturbridge, Mass., to Provincetown, Mass., as part of the Pan-Mass Challenge, which directly benefits the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The event, which began in 1980, raises more money for charity than any other single event in the United States. Just last year, the PMC raised $51 million. Roughly 6,200 cyclists participated in 2017, traveling along various course lengths and routes.
Leppla, who teaches sixth- and eighth-grade science, said her students began talking about people they’ve known who have dealt with cancer.
“The more you hear of people having cancer — younger ages, siblings, friends — it just seems like it keeps coming up. You kind of always know someone,” Leppla said. “We’ve got to figure this out, we’ve got to make something happen. So to be involved in some kind of way is what I really am excited about for this event.”
Leppla will be a part of a four-person team, and she hopes to raise $6,000. Exactly 100% of all proceeds are donated to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Dana-Farber is located in Boston and is one of the leading research and treatment centers in the country. They aim to provide expert, compassionate care to people of all ages with cancer while advancing the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure, and prevention of cancer and related diseases.
Leppla’s previous longest bicycle ride was 100 miles. She participated in the Long Trail Century, which raised money to benefit Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sport — an organization which helps people with disabilities through inclusive sports and recreational programming.
Leppla said she’s been training for the PMC since the end of last summer, through the winter with indoor rides, and outside as the weather begins to warm up this spring.
“It’s definitely going to be tough [to ride 192 miles],” she said. “We’ve already started riding through this cold weather. Pretty much the weekends are going to be devoted to back-to-back long rides.”
Asked how it will feel to cross the finish line, Leppla paused and took a second to think about it.
“Just a real feeling of accomplishment,” she said. “To be able to ride for that long, to be putting in that amount of time for two days, just really feeling accomplished and that you’ve hopefully made a difference and helped in one way or another.”
Leppla has been cycling since she joined the club team at the University of Delaware a few years ago. She used to be a runner as well, but said cycling offers a different experience.
“I love that you can get that much farther than running. You can see so much more, do so much more. You can see things and go places,” she said.
In Leppla’s case, you can also make a big difference in the lives of others.
To help Leppla raise money, you can donate by going to her fundraising page at profile.pmc.org/AL0245. For more information on the PMC and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, go to pmc.org.
