Pedal the Cause–San Diego, the region’s only multi-day cycling fundraiser for cancer research, will announce their first annual event today at 11 a.m. PT, on our La Jolla campus.
Sanford-Burnham is excited to be part of this new fundraising event for cancer research, in partnership with our two “neighbor” National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers, UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.
The kick-off event will include brief remarks by Kristiina Vuori, M.D., Ph.D., Sanford-Burnham president, interim CEO, and Cancer Center director, UC San Diego’s Scott Lippman, M.D., Salk Institute’s Bill Brody, M.D., Ph.D., Life Technologies’ Alan Sachs, and Bill Koman, president of Pedal the Cause.
Also expected to attend are Ze’ev Ronai, Ph.D., Sanford-Burnham scientific director and associate director of our Cancer Center; Napoleone Ferrara, M.D., Ph.D., the molecular biologist credited with helping decipher how tumors grow, and now senior deputy director for basic sciences at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center; and Duane Roth, CEO of CONNECT, a regional life sciences networking organization.
Taking place October 26-27, 2013 between La Jolla and Julian, Calif., Pedal the Cause–San Diego is open to riders of all abilities, with courses of varying length. There is also a virtual rider option, offering those who choose not to ride a way to participate. All proceeds will benefit the three NCI-designated cancer centers, or C3, as we were recently dubbed.
“By engaging thousands of motivated riders and donors, Pedal the Cause will provide the community with greater visibility into Sanford-Burnham, our esteemed partner institutions and the cutting edge medical research we are doing here in San Diego,” said Dr. Vuori.
“We are proud to have 100 percent of the proceeds stay in San Diego. Pedal the Cause is for riders of all abilities, and it is our hope that it brings together cancer advocates, cyclists and corporate sponsors to make a difference and help propel San Diego to the forefront of cancer research and cures,” said Mr. Koman, a two-time lymphoma survivor.
Global biotech company Life Technologies has stepped in as the event’s first corporate sponsor from the region. CareFusion, a leading health care medical device maker, and Qualcomm Life, a leading provider of wireless solutions in the healthcare industry, have also pledged their support for Pedal the Cause.
As home to three NCI-designated cancer centers, San Diego has long been a powerhouse for cancer research, prevention, and treatment. These singular institutions recently formed a novel collaboration, named the San Diego National Cancer Institute Cancer Centers Council, or C3, leveraging their distinct and combined resources to accelerate innovative approaches for the treatment and prevention of cancer. Under the direction of Lippman, Hunter, and Vuori, these three institutions have created a partnership unlike anything else in the United States.
Through Pedal the Cause, the C3 and a broad spectrum of the San Diego community will come together to raise funding for cancer research that creates faster and better treatments for cancer patients and helps make San Diego a leader in cancer cures and care.
Pedal the Cause–San Diego will include 50-, 65-, or 90-mile routes that take advantage of San Diego County’s breathtaking landscapes, with either a one-day or two-day option. The courses are designed and managed by Multisports.com, the San Diego-based leader in race management and multi-sport coaching. A team of professional coaches and Ironman World Champions has also designed training programs available to all Pedal the Cause participants.
Event registration is now open to the public at www.pedalthecause.org, where fundraising requirements and registration information are also available. Participants can register to ride individually, create a friends and family or corporate team, or donate to the cause.
About Pedal the Cause
Founded in 2012, Pedal The Cause—San Diego is a California nonprofit public benefit corporation established to fund, plan and manage an annual cycling fundraiser in which 100 percent of the proceeds stay in San Diego to benefit cancer research the three National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers. It is our hope that research funded by Pedal The Cause will ultimately lead to a cure for cancer, and propel San Diego to the forefront of cancer cures and care. For more information, please visit www.pedalthecause.org. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pedalthecause and Twitter @pedalthecause.