Photo courtesy of Chainbreaker
Chainbreaker rider at the finish line
Eighteen years ago, Jennifer Waldron sat on the couch from every parent’s nightmare—the one across from the doctor telling her that infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia would likely take her 10-week-old son Sam from this world before he ever got a real chance to live in it. “I asked if I could talk to another mom who had been through this same thing with her child,” Waldron says. “And he said, ‘There are no other moms like that. None of their kids survived this.’”
Endless procedures, bags of chemo, and too many hospital days to count later, Sam totally wrecked the bell curve in the best possible way. Not only did he survive against the odds, he made a fool out of cancer when he walked across the stage to receive his diploma at Minnetonka High School a few weeks ago.
As for his mom? She’s still sitting on couches—now, because she actually wants to.
Waldron serves as the director of Chainbreaker, a bike tour through southern Minnesota, from which, 100 percent of funds raised are donated to the University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center in support of cancer research. As the event is in just its second year, Waldron says it’s not uncommon for her and her fellow organizers to promote their cause door-to-door. Literally. “This is very much a grassroots effort,” Waldron says. “The best way to get people to ride and to get people to be part of our movement is to be face to face. And so we laugh in the office and constantly say we will go anywhere, anytime, to meet with anyone to talk about Chainbreaker—even a living room couch.”
Her efforts drew 1,021 cyclists to the inaugural ride last August, each of which makes a minimum fundraising commitment, depending on the ride length they sign up for (there are 25-, 50-, 100-, and 180-mile options). Together, they raised and donated a whopping $1.4 million to the Center. “I have the good story, like, look what research has done, and yet I still tear up every day,” Waldron says. “It is the reason why I’m doing this. I grieved because of this disease. It changes who you are. I think that’s why this is such a perfect match for me and why I’m willing to do whatever I can to get people involved.”
Chainbreaker's origin story actually started when a U of M grad and one from The Ohio State University walked into a bar—really. A pair of Big Ten alumni met in a local Florida watering hole, swapped snowstorm war stories (probably), and soon, the Buckeye told the Gopher about his experience with Pelotonia, a two-day cycling tour around Columbus, Ohio, ending with all dollars raised being donated to The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center–James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. “He was like, ‘This is crazy, I want to do this ride in Minnesota,’” Waldron says. “He picked up the phone and called the founder of Pelotonia and told him, ‘We are more generous, everybody bikes, you gotta come up here.’”
The snowbird got the wheel rolling and shortly after, Waldron—formerly a speech pathologist—took on the director gig full-time. She and her team set goals that are, to the dollar, the same as Pelotonia. And while they got up and over their 1,000 rider goal in year one, the final fundraising count came up short of what they had hoped.
But really, every little bit helps when it comes to supporting cancer research, says Dr. David Largaespada, Ph.D. As a scientist at the Masonic Cancer Center at University of Minnesota, he sees the benefits first-hand. Funds from Chainbreaker’s first year are enhancing new areas of cancer research that the Center already has a start on—like the study of microorganisms and the role viruses can play as cancer therapy agents. The donation also helps to bridge the gap between what’s being tested in labs and actual clinical application, which Largaespada says is one of the more difficult steps to take if you don’t have the funds to support it.
That’s why everyone rides, of course—to support a worthy cause. But as a 50-miler last year, Largaespada found himself smack-dab in the middle of something else made possible by the ride. Something truly special. “I got to actually talk to people,” he says. “I met a gentleman who was facing prostate cancer, and I was able to tell him about my dad’s experience, how he’s been treated successfully for over a decade, and help reassure him."
“A lot of people don’t really understand how the research labs are set up, how we’re funded, who is actually in there doing the work. But an event like this is a time for us to talk about it and explain how we make progress, how we turn it into a new idea that we try in the clinic.”
That break-down-the-lab-walls type of connection is exactly why Waldron distinguishes Chainbreaker as a “ride” rather than a “race”—she wants people to slow down, connect with one another, and have a whole lot of fun in the process. The good vibes start with a rider party on Friday night, and keep on rollin’ throughout the event (think: Hawaiian-themed, food-and-drink-packed rest stops every few miles). Cancer conversations typically take place under a dark cloud. The Chainbreaker crew is out to change that narrative.
Sam Waldron and his mom hug after his 180-mile Chainbreaker ride
Sam and his mom celebrate after he crosses the finish line of his 180-mile ride.
With Waldron’s son Sam in the mix, they’ve got a heckuva start. As if his success story wasn’t uplifting enough, the almost-freshman at the University of Nebraska just had to show us all up by becoming the youngest 180-mile finisher in Chainbreaker’s inaugural year, and he plans to participate for the foreseeable future. As long as there are kids to cure, Sam will ride. “I can relate, unlike a lot of people,” Sam says. “I figure if they’re going through all that chemo, then I’m sure I can bike 180 miles.”
Take THAT, cancer.
Training Tips from D’Amico Catering’s Rachel Bruzek
It’s certainly not a requirement, but many Chainbreaker participants have some personal connection to cancer, and D’Amico Catering’s cuisine and design manager Rachel Bruzek is no different. Back in 2008, her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Then her husband, six months later. “For me, those moments of sadness, fear, and worry were just heartbreaking,” Bruzek says. “It was just overwhelming for me. I questioned why there wasn’t a cure or more that could help.” When she heard about Chainbreaker, it took her all of six seconds to commit to the 50-mile course, which she plans to tackle again come August. Here are her tips for ride-prep if you’re thinking of doing the same:
- Go on weekly rides, even if each ride isn’t the full distance you’re doing at Chainbreaker. “I would do 75 miles total a week on my bike leading up to the ride,” Bruzek says.
- Get the proper gear—that includes those ever-attractive padded bike shorts!
- Take it easy in the days leading up to the ride. “I probably didn’t go to the gym a couple days before,” Bruzek says.
- Fuel up! Bruzek says she carries Cliff Blocks, sport beans, and two water bottles with her.
- Sign up! “Anyone can do this ride,” Bruzek says. “It’s not a race. It’s a beautiful ride. My former boss, who is a cancer survivor and who had not been on a bike in 30 years, rode the 25-mile.”
Registration for Chainbreaker is still open, and the ride takes place Aug. 10–12.
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