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 spoke with Javier Sanchez, executive director of the Dolphins Cancer Challenge, about the milestone event.
“So we kicked off DCC 16 as we do every year with the iconic Century Ride,” Sanchez said. “So we had a few cyclists out there participating. We did freshen the route up this year. It’s absolutely beautiful. It’s got three rest stops,” he said. “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.”
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 will impact 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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