Determination Leads Westwood's McKeown to PMC

It's going to take more than a busted knee to stop Chris McKeown.

Despite having torn his MCL earlier this year, McKeown, a Westwood resident and the town's Veteran's Agent, is taking to the road this weekend for the 26th year in a row for the 31st-annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge.

McKeown first began racing in the PMC in 1983 after coming back from a stint in the Navy. His girlfriend at the time had mentioned the idea of racing, and he went out and bought a bike to participate.

"I just have been riding ever since," he said.

But after 25 years of racing, there was a cloud of uncertainty over this year's race.

McKeown tore his Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) while playing hockey this past June. While surgery isn't required for an MCL to heal, therapy moved slowly, and McKeown was unsure if he would be able to ride this year, potentially ending nearly three decades of a strong tradition.

But in the last few weeks, the injury began to heal and McKeown's confidence rose. As such, he hit the road in the two-day race, which began Saturday morning.

The PMC is a 200-mile race that spans from Sturbridge to Provincetown. One hundred percent of the donations go toward the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Jimmy Fund. Last year, the PMC raised about $31 million, which is this year's goal.

McKeown in particular is riding in memory of his cousin Susie, who passed away in September 2009 after a four-year battle with lung cancer. So far, McKeown has raised about $6,500 this year, though he will be accepting donations for the cause up through October.

The event does feature a number of sponsors, which help fulfill administrative costs. Adding to that, the funds donated to the event are un-restriced, which means that donations aren't earmarked for certain programs or research, but the Jimmy Fund is able to use the money at free will as it sees fit, giving it more flexibility.

McKeown actually has a closer relationship with the PMC than just being a rider. Shortly after he began riding, he moved on to become the event's first full-time employee in 1989 as the Director of Operations. He held the role until 1994.

What surprised McKeown most over the years is how much the number of riders has increased.

"I think my last year working for the PMC, there might have been 1,500 riders," he said. This year, the number is closer to 5,200.

And the relationships he formed both as a rider and employee over the years has helped him on and off the road. In the early 1990s, he formed a friendship with a worker for Fallon Ambulance, which donates ambulances and medical supplies to the PMC's cyclists. 

The friendship allowed McKeown to help his cousin move back to her home in western Massachusetts prior to her death - a wish of hers, but one that proved difficult given her condition and how much medical attention she needed at the time. McKeown's colleague donated his time and services toward helping the move, giving McKeown a stronger sense of camaraderie than he knew possible. 

"This story demonstrates the strength of the bond, and the commonality of purpose, amongst the extended PMC community," McKeown said.

And even when it comes to the riding part of the PMC, McKeown doesn't even consider the PMC to be a race. There are no official winners, and no official times taken.

"It's not a race at all," he said. "We joke about the fact that no matter how fit we are, we always seem to arrive at the same time."

Donations can be made to the McKeown Family, 70 Lorraine Road, Westwood, MA 02090. Checks should be made payable to "PMC-Jimmy Fund." Donations can also be made online at the PMC website with the eGift ID "CM0007".