Pan-Mass Challenge celebrates $1 billion raised for Dana-Farber

BOSTON - The Pan-Mass Challenge announced Friday that it had surpassed one billion dollars in fundraising since the organization was founded in 1980. It's a milestone 44 years in the making.

One billion dollars raised

The Pan-Mass Challenge was featured at Friday night's Red Sox game, where survivors rode around the field, sang the national anthem, and threw out the first pitch. The PMC's 2024 ride is just a few weeks away.

"Being able to be in Fenway Park as a lifelong Boston resident, I've been to many games, but to actually get on the field and ride around is amazing itself, and to do it as a cancer survivor and in support of the Pan-Mass Challenge is very humbling," said PMC rider and cancer survivor Rob Hegarty.

Martha Gold has been riding for more than two decades in honor of her husband. But last fall, she had a surprise diagnosis of her own. The doctors caught it early.

"I have been through surgery; I've been through six months of chemo. I'm finished," Gold said. "And I am alive."

What is the Pan-Mass Challenge?

The Pan-Mass Challenge has worked for decades to raise money for Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund. All in an effort to fund research and treatment to save lives.

The event has brought people from around the world to participate in the fundraiser, which takes riders along different routes in the state. The Pan-Mass Challenge says that 100% of the funds raised go to cancer research and that it is the largest donor for Dana-Farber.

The bike-a-thon also says it raises more money for charity than any other athletic fundraising event in the country.

The Pan-Mass Challenge will take place on August 3 and 4. Click here for more information.

WBZ-TV will air a special called "Everyday Heroes" about the race on Channel 38 and CBS News Boston on August 2 at 7 p.m.