While the traditional three-day biking event was on hiatus for 2020, some out-of-the box thinking led to the creation of “My Pelotonia,” a new initiative that allows participants to define their own personal challenges and fundraising goals, limited only by their imagination and creativity.
“This allows people to create their own journeys,” explains Doug Ulman, Pelotonia president and CEO, adding that his Pelotonia is to ride from Columbus to Cincinnati, something he’s always wanted to do. “We’ve eliminated all barriers to participation in Pelotonia.”
There was no registration fee this year and no fundraising minimum, and the personal challenges didn’t have to be related to cycling. Every dollar raised has added to the total raised since the first Pelotonia ride in 2009. That total exceeds $217 million to date.
Other My Pelotonia journeys include riding challenging hills and trails exercising regularly as a family, performing 21 acts of kindness and writing 21 cards to James patients and doctors, getting at least five people to sign up for My Pelotonia and taking 100 walks with 100 different people.
The more than 11,000 participants who signed up for My Pelotonia embodied Pelotonia’s 2020 Be Legendary campaign. “The Pelotonia community has come together in profound ways over the past 12 years, and this year is no different. Our legendary community is unwavering in Pelotonia’s goal to fund accelerated cancer research, united in a shared sense of duty to those diagnosed with this disease,” says Ulman.
“As the global scientific community has shifted its focus to the important work of navigating through and overcoming COVID-19, it is paramount that we ensure that scientific discovery continues in cancer,” adds OSUCCC director Raphael E. Pollock, MD, PhD, FACS. “We must maintain momentum in basic, translational, clinical and population research studies so that we can continue to improve our cancer prevention and bring new clinical therapies to our patients, which will ultimately lead to better outcomes for our community. We are grateful for the support and efforts of the Pelotonia community of riders, corporate partners, donors and volunteers.”