More than 20 women will cycle more than 500 miles from Memphis to Seagrove Beach, Florida to fund cancer support.
The She to Sea Ride is an annual event supporting the West Cancer Foundation. Cyclists will begin their journey on Saturday, March 21st at 8:30 a.m. as they depart from the West Cancer Center. The event is sponsored by Pinnacle Fountain Financial Group.
Participants will ride 100 miles per day for five days. The West Cancer Foundation said the She to Sea Riders have raised over half a million dollars.
Leigh Ruston, one of the 10 founders of She to Sea riders, said they were inspired by the men’s Ride 2 Rosemary, and wanted to be a sister team to them to provide support and to help those with cancer.
Ruston said the team is full of women who are “cyclists at heart” and said training and making it to Seagrove Beach is a team effort.
“Every single member on the ride wants to ride all the distance, so this is not a relay — everyone wants to ride to the beach,” Ruston said. “This ride can’t happen without each lady being willing to work hard.”
The riders are joined by a full support team who follows the team in vehicles providing meals and helping to ensure their safety.
Ruston said she and other riders are inspired by the work of the West Cancer Foundation, and wanted to shine a light on the work they’re doing.
Leighanne Soden, president of the West Cancer Foundation, said the She to Sea Ride helps their mission of raising money for the underserved and uninsured in their battle against cancer. The foundation serves Memphis and Shelby County, as well as those in Crittenden and DeSoto counties.
The nonprofit was founded in 2020 as a way to provide service to all oncology-related providers and services. All of the foundation’s programs are donor and grant-funded.
Soden said Memphis has some of the highest mortality rates with many cancers such as breast, prostate, and lung. The West Cancer Foundation seeks to help bring those rates down by removing barriers to care.
Soden said transportation is one of the largest barriers in access to healthcare, with those in Memphis facing increased barriers due to problems in public transit.
To remedy this, the foundation offers free rides to oncology-related appointments. Soden said just last year they spent a quarter of a million dollars on their transportation program and provided 7,000 free rides.
Fundraisers like the She To Sea Ride helps fund these programs along with others such as prostate and breast screenings, mental health counseling, and more.
“Every dollar they raise supports all of the programs we provide for cancer patients,” Soden said.