As Pelotonia riders get ready to launch for the annual ride, Buckeye doctors are sharing memories from 15 years of support for cancer research at Ohio State. Since the first event in 2009, Pelotonia has raised more than $258 million for cancer research at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center — James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. In 2023, riders will again board their bikes and hit the road while volunteers provide vital assistance at starting and finish lines. While participants travel dozens — or for some, hundreds — of miles during each Pelotonia event, the emotional impact often outweighs the physical toll of the ride. “It’s truly an emotional experience and I’m not hesitant to say I’ve cried at every Pelotonia at some point,” says David Cohn, MD, MBA, the interim CEO of the OSUCCC – James. Cohn and his Ohio State colleagues share several stories from the first 14 years of Pelotonia on our Cancer-Free World Podcast. Watch via the video player above, and listen on SoundCloud. Here are some more thoughts on Pelotonia from Ohio State cancer experts, who have helped turn the annual event into a Buckeye State institution while turning donated funds into breakthroughs in cancer care and research: “I was blown away — the number of people riding, the number of people supporting the ride and the number of people along the side of the road.” — Tim Pawlik, MD, PhD, surgeon-in-chief of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center on his first Pelotonia experience “My favorite memories are times I've ridden with my patients. Probably around 10 years ago, I got to ride with one of our nurses. Actually, she was a nurse in a different part of the James. I took a soft tissue sarcoma out of her, and she's done well, and she actually changed the place where she worked and came to our sarcoma clinic.” — Joel Mayerson, MD, director of the OSUCCC – James’ sarcoma program “I can't ride because my tumor affected the part of my brain that deals with balance, but I volunteered at the first rest stop. It was just so much fun to see how people were so excited, knowing that they were doing something really great for cancer research, for the survivors and having that way to give back.” — Samantha Jaglowski, MD, hematologist and brain tumor survivor “I decided that since I was a little scared of biking that I was going to run as much as I thought reasonable. In the early years I ran 30-something miles on the day of Pelotonia. Then, my dad was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer. When he was 72, I decided I was going to celebrate him — he was still alive thanks to The James. So, I started on Friday and I ran 20 miles until dark. I slept a few hours, drove my car to 50 miles or so from the end, and then I finished to make 72 miles.” — Mary E Dillhoff, MD, surgical oncologist Click to learn more about Pelotonia-funded research at the OSUCCC – James.