An estimated 5,000 cyclists, runners, walkers and supporters took part in the 9th annual Miami Dolphins Cancer Challenge at Hard Rock Stadium, Saturday, raising close to $4 million for cancer research, organizers said.
That brings the nine-year total to more than $30 million with every penny going to the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, said event executive director Jennifer Jehn.
“This is our biggest one yet,” she said. “Cancer research saves lives, cancer research costs money, and we’re here to raise as much as we can.”
Among those cycling were Miami Dolphins owner Steven Ross and player-turned-broadcaster Nat Moore, each of whom completed a 14-mile ride at Hard Rock Stadium.
“We were chasing the young guys… but somehow Mr. Ross caught them and beat them into the stadium even though I told him it was a ride, not a race,” Moore said.
“You don’t think they tanked?” Ross snapped back, with a tongue-in-cheek reference to scuttlebutt the Dolphins plan to throw the upcoming season to get a top draft pick.
Cancer survivors and their families were the real winners, some participants said.
An estimated 200 survivors were among those who either rode, ran, or walked one of six routes from Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Boca Raton to Hard Rock Stadium. A 100-mile option encompassed all of them.
Paul Frishman, 55, of Pembroke Pines, raised $1,000. His wife Caryn was among the survivors walking the 5K while he was cycling to the stadium from the University of Miami.
“This is her 16th year as a survivor so it’s very important to us to make sure we go and give back to other families going through this battle now,” he said. “The least I can do is get on a bike and ride 35 miles in their honor.”
Cyclist Adam Lang, 44, of Weston, also rode 35 miles. It was his third time but it wasn’t a charm, he joked.
“[My family] is here to cheer me on,” he said. “They inevitably manage to miss my finish on the finish line, every year, three years running.”
“I missed everything,” said wife Marnie, laughing. “I wanted to get a shot of him coming in but I missed it.”
There’s always next year, he said.
wkroustan@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4303 or Twitter @WayneRoustan
For new Dolphins coach Brian Flores, charity event hits close to home
Players talk football and take photos with cancer survivors at Dolphins Cancer Challenge