By Meghan Morgan
For miles on end, the only audible sound will be of legs peddling briskly through the boiling summer air. Three BYU men and a Harvard graduate student will embark on a journey taking them from New York to San Francisco. They will experience six weeks of sweat, rugged terrain and the blistering sun.
The goal of these men is not merely to say they have completed a bike ride across the nation. They enter into this endeavor for a greater cause – cancer awareness.
Devon Mattson, Maksim Kalashnikov, John Lattin and Troy Richey will leave this Saturday, June 24. They hope to bike 70 to 100 miles a day, completing the race in approximately six weeks.
According to the American Cancer Society Web site, cancer affects more than 10 million people.
“Our goal is to promote the awareness of cancer,” said Mattson, a 22-year-old from Ogden whose father died of cancer.
Mattson said he and his father had always wanted to do this ride, but then his father became a victim of cancer.
Mattson said they hope to raise money for cancer on behalf of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, through setting up a donation Web site in association with their ride. The website is located at bikecoasttocoast.org.
This cancer awareness fundraiser is the basis of an MBA field study project for Harvard graduate student Kalashnikov. Kalashnikov has created the “First-Timer”s Guide to Event-Based Nonprofit Fundraising.”
“I think it”s a good cause and we are going to raise a lot of money for cancer, which has got to be our primary goal,” said Lattin, a chemical engineering major from Spokane, Wash.
“I am excited for the adventure of it all,” said Richey, an accounting major from San Diego.
The bike ride is one of many cancer awareness fundraisers involving Utah residents. From the local Relay for Life to a golf tournament in Park City, there is something everyone can participate in.
Relay for Life is one of the biggest cancer fundraisers put on by the American Cancer Society. It is a community event to promote survivorship and raise money for cancer research. Small teams of people walk around a local track, intending to keep at least one person from each team on the track at all times. The event starts in the evening, goes through the night and ends the next morning.
“We do it to symbolize that cancer never sleeps, so why should we,” said Tanya Rollins, American Cancer Society staff partner over Relay for Life of Provo and Orem.
Rollins said cancer survivors walk the first lap. It gives them the opportunity to be together and creates a unified feeling, she said.
Tamera Harris, a cancer survivor and Relay for Life participant, said she is impressed by the strength that can be found as survivors come together in the fight against cancer.
“The best part is knowing you are not alone,” Harris said.
“Hardly any family in some way, shape or form is not affected by cancer,” said Dennis Harris, entertainment chair of Relay for Life of Provo and Orem.
Dennis Harris said many people go through life and don”t want to be bothered. People don”t seem to offer help until they are affected, he said. Harris would encourage all to help in the fight against cancer.
“Relay for Life symbolizes hope, courage and support,” said Karlyn Norton, Orem resident and Relay for Life participant.
Through personal endeavors or community events, all can participate in the fight against cancer.
