🔒Tri for a Cure athletes raise $2.3M to fight cancer in Maine

“You ladies are on frickin’ fire,” Julie Marchese told over a thousand fellow female triathletes in South Portland Sunday morning on the shores of Casco Bay.

“How many newbies do we have out there today?” she asked as dozens of hands shot up ahead of Maine Cancer Foundation’s Tri for a Cure fundraiser. “You belong here. Whether you’ve been training for months or wondering if you can actually do this, today is your day.” Marchese, a cancer survivor who co-founded the event in 2008 and served as race director for 17 years, competed for the first time this year. Over 1,200 participants raised more than $2.3 million to fight cancer in Maine in the 19th edition of the annual fundraiser. The event consists of a swim of a third of a mile, a 15-mile bike ride and a three-mile run. Since its debut, the event has raised more than $26 million for cancer prevention, early detection and access to care in the Pine Tree State. Ray Ruby, Maine Cancer Foundation’s executive director, told the crowd that he brought along his seven- and nine-year-old daughters “because I want them to see what I see, to feel what I feel, being around the most incredible women in this country.” “What I told them is they could do anything they set their mind to, and I see a lot of you are proof of that — crushing records, doing a triathlon, but I also said it’s a little bit easier when you bring a bunch of friends with you,” he said.

Team spirit

While some do all three stages of the Tri on their own, others form teams. Running with the “Friends Make It Fun” group, Betsy Parker of Yarmouth said, “I used to be very competitive, but I’m not competitive anymore. I do it to raise money, to support the cause, and I love supporting new athletes.” One way Parker does that is by serving as a “swim angel,” helping reassure swimmers about being in the open ocean. “They may be confident in a pool, but it’s really easy to hyperventilate,” she explained. At the top of the rock steps leading down to the water, Meredith Strang Burgess —  one of the top fundraisers every year who also serves as the race’s ceremonial final finisher  — continued her traditional pre-swim pep talks for each group. Starting with the survivors in pink bathing caps, Burgess led each group in a chant of “I am an amazing swimmer!” before they scuttled down to the sandy shore. With upbeat tunes by pop artists from Britney Spears to the Backstreet Boys blaring in the background, athletes descended in bare feet and scuba socks to take the plunge.

Clad in wetsuits, they splashed, danced and dove into the ocean under a cloudless blue sky, forming a wave of warriors declaring war on cancer. Some had pink glitter on their cheeks. Once out of the water, they ran to a brigade of “strippers” who pulled off their wetsuits in a matter of seconds. Between pull-offs, volunteer Mary Rowan said that being part of the Tri was “so rewarding and fulfilling.”

From there, it was on to the bike station for the second stage of the Tri that would take riders to Cape Elizabeth and back to South Portland.

'Sense of power'

Sheila Conlan, a first-time triathlete from Cumberland, participated to honor two aunts who died of cancer. She teamed with a friend who lost her mother to cancer. “This is my first year, so it’s like dipping my toe in a little bit,” Conlan said before the start. Psyched to do all three stages, she added that “it’s a beautiful day, it’ll be a great day.” WEX CEO Melissa Smith, from the event’s longtime presenting sponsor, was part of a team of 21 from the Portland-based financial technology services provider. “I’m always happy when I get there [but] I get nervous when I get in the water,” Smith, who prefers running, said in between pre-swim stretches. Smith said she has participated every year except for the year she was pregnant with one of her sons. “You get that sense of power that comes from all these women coming together, and that happens every year,” she said.

For Ali Maksimova of South Portland, this was her third Tri but first on her own and not as part of a team. “I love the cause and the environment," she said, "and I love how all the money goes back to the Maine Cancer Foundation.”

‘Different vibe’

Throughout the route, spectators were cheering on participants, ringing bells and holding up posters, including one held by a little girl declaring that she was her mother's biggest fan. Another family sported black T-shirts that said "Support Squad." At the finish line, things were quiet until three runners from Portland crossed in unison. “I’m just so thankful for my family because, goodness, I wouldn’t be here without them,” said one. Taking it all in before swarms of others arrived, Ruby commented on what he felt was a “different vibe” this year. “People just rallied around this in a way where there’s like an ownership to it,” he said. “It’s the most powerful thing I’ve ever been a part of.”