MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins kicked off its annual Dolphins Cancer Challenge on Saturday morning, marking the culmination of a yearlong fundraising effort to support cancer research.
Cyclists took part in routes of 13, 54 and 99 miles in honor of Dolphins’ legends Dan Marino, Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor, along with a 5K run.
The 99-mile ride, known as the Century Ride, began at 6 a.m., with participants expected to finish between noon and midafternoon at Hard Rock Stadium.
Local 10’s Gabrielle Arzola spoke with participant Caryn Frishman, a 23-year cancer survivor, who is taking part in her ninth year.
“I am feeling inspired, encouraged, hopeful, happy, proud,” Frishman said. “Ringing that bell, even so many years later, is a highlight of this event, of my day of the year. It just means everything to have the power and the strength and the ability to be here to ring that bell.”
Frishman said she participates each year because she can, while others cannot.
“I proudly walk with my daughter. My husband does the ride as well. This year he’s doing the 13 and they do it for me. I do it for others because I can,” she said.
She described the event as deeply personal for many.
“This is a family no one ever wants to be a part of, not a club we asked to join. But once you’re in it, you’re in it for life, and it is so tight-knit and really comforting to be around so many like-minded people,” she said.
Arzola also spoke with Javier Sanchez, executive director of the DCC, about the milestone event.
“So we kicked off DCC 16 as we do every year with the iconic Century Ride. So we had a few cyclists out there participating. We did freshen the route up this year. It’s absolutely beautiful,” Sanchez said. “It’s got three rest stops. The first place they head down to is Nikki Beach, so they go up along the coastline all the way up to Bowes Beach in Fort Lauderdale. They have another rest stop at mile 75, and then they’re going to finish here at the stadium.”
Sanchez emphasized that the event is not considered a race.
“One thing we do is we don’t call this a race — we call this a ride because we’re all coming together as one team, one fight in the mission of raising funds for cancer research and hitting that milestone this year of raising $100 million since 2010,” he said. “That was a big one for us because 100% of those dollars, every single penny supports Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center right here in our hometown.”
Sanchez said the Dolphins Cancer Challenge is the largest fundraiser in the NFL. Since its inception in 2010, the event has raised more than $100 million for the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
“We’re seeing people come back year after year and realize that this is their favorite day of the year,” Sanchez added. “We’re seeing the cancer center advance treatments, recruit more researchers and doctors. We’re helping save more lives.”
Sanchez said more than 500 cancer survivors participated this year — more than the total number of participants in the first year of the event.
“So it just goes to show the DCC funds the impact,” Sanchez said. “It’s working. It’s working and saving so many lives.”
Arzola was also able to ring the bell in honor of her mother’s courageous fight against stage 4 breast cancer.
Elizabeth Jenkins, executive board chair of the Dolphins Cancer Challenge also spoke to Local 10 News on Saturday morning as the team kicked off their annual event.
Click here for more information on how the challenge impacted traffic.
Local 10 viewers can also donate to the two-day cycling event, which raises funds for innovative cancer research at the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
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