2018 Courage Ride raises $70,000 for sarcoma research

IOWA CITY - Courage Ride, a bicycle ride that raises funds for sarcoma cancer research, presented a check for $70,000 to the University of Iowa's Sarcoma Research Program during an Oct. 24 ceremony at the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Ben Miller, Dr. Munir Tanas and Dr. Varun Monga accepted the check on behalf of the center's Sarcoma Cancer Research Program.

Over the past 14 years, Courage Ride has raised over $719,000 for local sarcoma cancer research - having a major impact on cancer patients and families who benefit from the research.

All proceeds from the Courage Ride go to the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Sarcoma Research Program. Courage Ride donations make up 85 percent of all sarcoma seed grant funding at the university. Since 2005, those dollars have seeded numerous sarcoma research grants, several that have developed into larger, more extensive sarcoma research studies, and support one of the largest sarcoma tissue banks in the Midwest.

Courage Ride is a nonprofit charity bike ride held each August in the rolling Amish countryside near Kalona, to raise research dollars for sarcoma cancer. The event, offering multiple routes of varying paved and gravel distances, begins and ends at the Iowa Mennonite School. This year's event was held Saturday, Aug. 18.

Courage Ride 2018 once again bested last year's event by attracting a record 530 cyclists from 14 states, with over 600 participants including nonriders and volunteers.

Courage Ride was founded by Jackie and Tom Bailey of Riverside, in 2005 to honor the courage of their son Seth, who passed away at age 25 after battling sarcoma for eight years.

Sarcoma is a rare cancer comprising less than 1 percent of all adult cancers and 21 percent of childhood cancers. Approximately 15,000 sarcoma cases are diagnosed each year in the United States and over 6,000 are expected to die from it. There are over 150 subtypes of sarcoma that are categorized as either soft tissue or bone. Though the condition is very aggressive and difficult to treat, many patients survive. More research is needed to find better treatment options and eventually a cure.

The significance of Courage Ride is underscored by the fact that funding for cancer research has been shrinking over the past 10 years, according to the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). And yet cancer remains one of the nation's costliest diseases. Sarcoma receives 1 to 2 percent of all cancer research funding.

The 2019 Courage Ride will be held, Saturday, Aug 17.