Bristol Myers Squibb employees have clipped into their bike pedals for another annual ride, setting off on the first leg of the Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer (C2C4C) to raise money for oncology research.
BMS ran its first C2C4C event in 2014, when an employee worked with colleagues to put together a team of 53 oncology staffers for a ride across the U.S. Like the inaugural ride, the 2024 edition of the event will cover around 3,000 miles.
The first riders set off from Cannon Beach, Oregon on Friday. Each of the 126 riders in this year’s event will cover around 225 miles over three days before handing off to another team for the next leg. The route will take the BMS riders through Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana and Pennsylvania before the event finishes in Long Branch, New Jersey early next month.
Jill McKenzie, senior therapeutic area specialist from Romeo, Michigan, discussed their decision to take part in the ride in a statement, explaining that they are “riding in honor of those who have died from cancer, but also in celebration of those who have conquered its challenges.”
As of Sept. 9, the C2C4C website put the amount raised at $701,916. The goal is to raise $1 million for the V Foundation for Cancer Research, a charity founded by ESPN and the late basketball coach Jim Valvano. BMS has agreed to match donations dollar-for-dollar up to $500,000. Across the history of the event, C2C4C has raised $12.7 million for cancer research in North America.
The ride kicks off a season of similar events. Other BMS employees are now riding across Europe. And versions of the event are set to start in Japan and Latin America in October and December, respectively. BMS first added Europe to the list of locations in 2016, before expanding to Japan in 2021 and Latin America in 2022.