From Sturbridgs, Mass. to P-town, for cancer research

On August 2, David Hamblet, of Meredith, will set out from Sturbridge, Mass., with a horde of other bicyclists. That day he'll ride more than 100 miles, stopping in Bourne, Mass., where he'll be joined by his wife, Beth. The next day the two of them will ride from Bourne all the way out to the tip of Cape Cod, not stopping until they've reached Provincetown, 80 miles from where they started that morning.

By the end of the day on Aug. 3, Beth will have ridden a distance equivalent to that between Laconia and Portland, Maine. David will have ridden 190 miles, the same distance between Laconia and Hartford, Conn. They'll be doing it along with more than 5,000 other riders, all of them participating in the 29th Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, all of them riding to raise money for the renowned Jimmy Fund, which pays for research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Prior to last year, neither of them had ever taken part in endurance events. In fact, it was only by circumstance that they got involved at all.

The Hamblet family owns and operates Y Landing, a marina on Meredith Neck. One of their longtime customers, who launched his boat from the marina to access his property on Pine Island, was a "lifer," a term in Pan-Mass-speak that means someone who participates in the challenge every year and intends to keep doing so.

For 15 years, David said, this man invited him to get involved in the event, and every year David said, no. Every year, that was, until last year, when the man's persistence paid off, and David rode with him.

David said it was the challenge of the event that first intrigued him. He took the training seriously, taking rides around Lake Winnipesaukee at dawn so he could be back in time to work a full day at the marina.

While he said he was really nervous about his conditioning level last year, David said riding in the Lakes Region was good training for the Pan-Mass Challenge, which features some hilly terrain, especially on the first day. "It is hilly," he said of the Massachusetts topography, "but not Lakes Region hilly."

Like David last year, Beth is excited — and nervous — about the physical challenge. While they're both quite active people, they're fairly new to cycling. Beth teaches swimming lessons in Sandwich during the summers, and they both do a lot of skiing in the winter, but it was only last year that Beth bought her road bike, and she's only been training since May. David has been riding a bit longer, but not by much.

"I'm a little anxious, I don't know what to expect," Beth said. "I would call myself a novice, a beginner."

Since David did the ride last year, he knows he's up to the physical challenge, so that part of the motivation is no longer there for him. However, he found on his ride last time that the experience was so uplifting, the people so pleasant, that he's ready to call himself a "lifer." It was the challenge that got him to try it, but the camaraderie got him hooked. "It was the coolest thing I had ever done as far as fundraising goes... You don't hear a bad word, everybody is happy and having a great time."

As parents of two young boys, they both said the biggest challenge for them is finding the time to spend a few hours on a bicycle. They're finding that they have to be opportunistic to get in significant riding time. For example, one of David's friends, who lives in Concord, asked to borrow his truck last week. Instead of having the friend drive up to Meredith to pick up the truck, David insisted on driving it down to Concord, with his bike in the truck's bed so that he could pedal back home.

For both of them, it's significant that the event is a fundraiser for cancer, as they have several members of their family who have suffered from the disease. It's also important to them that the whole operation is put on by volunteers with donated logistical support, meaning every dollar raised goes to cancer research and treatment.

That factor is likely going to play into their discussions with friends and family members as the couple begins their fundraising campaign. Last year David raised $10,000 in donations. Each rider has a responsibility to collect $4,000, and the two of them have a goal of raising $12,000. It's especially difficult for couples to raise money, as they will tend to count the same people in their circles of friends and family.

Those who wish to contribute to the Hamblet's goal, or that of another rider, can do so by visiting www.pmc.org/gifts. One other person from the region, Dr. Andrew Garfinkle of Laconia, is participating in the event.

There are more cyclists participating in the event this year than in any prior year. The cyclists will have the collective goal of raising $34,000 this year, which would bring the total. Since the event started, in 1980, more than $200 million has been raised.