Article by Alan Clarance, Fay School
My passion outside of work is riding my bike—not the Harley Davidson type, but bicycling. There is no better feeling than taking in beautiful scenery along a quiet country road, without music or technology (other than the GPS on my bike) and with only my own thoughts. There is also a lot to be said for biking with friends or even strangers, leading to great conversations and impulsive races up hills and on straightaways. One of my favorite experiences took place in the French Alps, where during the Tour de France I summited the same mountaintop peak as the riders the day before that stage of the race. The next day, I was captured on the TV news running alongside the riders sporting a three-foot-high pink wig and a mankini.
But here is the real reason I ride: to help save lives. For each of the last 12 years, I have ridden in the Pan Massachusetts Challenge (PMC), a two-day, 192-mile bike ride across Massachusetts from Sturbridge to Provincetown. Celebrating its 36th year this summer, the PMC has raised more than $450 million for cancer research and treatment at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) here in Boston. One hundred percent of rider donations go to this cause, and these unrestricted funds allow the DFCI to carry out leading-edge research that will ultimately cure many types of cancer. My journey started when a close friend passed away six months after being diagnosed with cancer. During this six-month period, he and his wife became parents of their second son.
Other inspirations have been signs reading “I am alive because of you” and “Smile if you’re not wearing underwear”—which most riders aren’t.
The PMC changed my life. I was in the corporate world when I started, but the cause drew me to the nonprofit world, where being able to work for a mission (rather than to increase shareholder wealth) truly aligns my values with my actions. A book called 363/2, written by a PMC rider, explains the year-long commitment required to participate. For 363 days you fundraise, recruit, plan and train, and then, in August, you ride for two days. It was during my PMC tenure that I found my first job in the not-for-profit world, as CFO at an organization focused on closing “the opportunity divide” by providing urban young adults with skills, experience and support to achieve their potential through professional careers and higher education. From there I went deeper in the education sphere and became the director of finance and operations at The Fay School, where I remain today.
I rode as an individual in my first PMC, but for the last 11 years I have been the captain (and recruiter, organizer and motivator) of three different teams with a total of 218 riders. I personally have raised more than $107,000 for DCFI, and the teams I have led have raised more than $1.8 million. For my 13th ride this August, I’ll be joined by the treasurer of the Board here at Fay School and three other faculty and administrators.
There have been so many amazing PMC moments. In one of my first years of riding I found myself passing a tandem bike with just the front seat occupied. Trying to be funny, I asked the rider if he had forgotten his partner at the rest stop we just passed. He explained that his wife had lost her fight to cancer, and she was riding with him in spirit. Needless to say, that moment of generous sharing and insight stuck with me. Other inspirations have been signs reading “I am alive because of you” and “Smile if you’re not wearing underwear”—which most riders aren’t. I’ve ridden with octogenarians, been passed by a rider with one leg and shared the road with many “living proof” (cancer survivor) riders.
Each rider has his or her own reasons to ride, but the collective spirit is intoxicating and invigorating. One year, a good friend of mine called to tell me she was dying of cancer and had spent all her money on “the fight,” leaving nothing for her funeral. My PMC team jumped into action, held a fundraiser and paid for her funeral. During the ride that next summer, her mother called to tell me her daughter was smiling down on me and keeping me strong.
I have a true passion for the great world of independent schools, and the strength I derive from bicycling and raising money for cancer research motivates me every day of my professional life. In this summer’s ride, we (the PMC) hope to raise $50 million, bringing the total raised to $500 million. That’s 500 million good reasons to continue to ride.
