Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Iris Levin (center in red helmet) and Assistant Professor of Biology Toshi Tsunekage (second from right) finish a 100-mile route for Pelotonia in 2022 in Gambier. (Courtesy of Iris Levin)
When Iris Levin hits the road this August as part of Pelotonia’s annual cycling event to raise money for cancer research, she will be focused on much more than the 100-mile journey from Columbus to Gambier. She’ll be thinking about her mother.
“My mom is being treated for breast cancer this year, so it's particularly emotional,” said Levin, an associate professor of biology and environmental studies whose father is a cancer survivor.
Since being founded in 2008, Pelotonia has raised more than $285 million for cancer research at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute. And for most of that time — since 2012 — the longest route of the nonprofit’s signature cycling event has culminated at Kenyon.
More than 2,000 riders — including Levin and her spouse, Assistant Professor of Biology Toshi Tsunekage — are expected to cross the finish line in front of the Lowry Center on Sat., Aug. 3 after trekking 100 miles from Columbus or 65 miles from New Albany. Hundreds of them will spend the night on campus before riding another 90 miles to New Albany the next day, Aug. 4.
Some of the money raised during Ride Weekend, as it’s called, will directly support the work of six Kenyon students, who are spending their summer conducting cancer-related research at Ohio State using Pelotonia funds.
Each year, students from the College are selected as part of a special partnership to work alongside Ohio State faculty members and graduate and postdoctoral students for 10 weeks. Since the program began in 2012, 78 students — who receive a stipend and housing — have taken part.
The partnership offers a unique opportunity for Kenyon students to be part of cutting-edge research taking place at a premier cancer research facility, according to Peter Kropp, Harvey F. Lodish Assistant Professor of Biology.
“Students are getting exposed to both breadth and depth in the space of cancer biology,” he said. “It's not just figuring out why cancer cells proliferate too much. This program is everything from molecular mechanisms to bioengineering to public health and epidemiology.”
Ally Lavy ’26, from Uniontown, Ohio, is working this summer in the lab of Dehua Pei, a professor in Ohio State’s department of chemistry and biochemistry who was honored with the university’s Innovator of the Year Award in 2017. The research involves understanding how biomolecules travel across cell membranes with the ultimate goal of developing drugs that transport inhibitors into cells and target proteins responsible for certain tumors.
“It's something new, and I'm really liking it,” Lavy said. “It's definitely made me a better researcher.”
The pre-med student majoring in chemistry said she’s been learning a lot from her graduate student mentors and picking up new techniques, including cloning. The fact that it’s all directed at fighting cancer is an important bonus.
“I have a few family members now who are battling cancer, and my grandmother survived breast cancer,” she said. “It makes it pretty personal, and it's great to be able to work on a project like this and feel like I'm helping out in some way.”
The importance of this work isn’t lost on Levin, who will be riding for the fourth time and who helped as a volunteer in 2019. The Gambier resident said it has the potential to help patients around the world — including people like her mom, who lives in Oregon.
“The research they do with The James doesn't just serve The James. Cancer research moves cancer treatment forward regardless of where that research is done.”
The warm welcome that riders like Levin and Tsunekage receive once they arrive in Gambier is a huge collaborative effort.
Kenyon maintenance employees provide routine and emergency facility services, making sure rooms are ready for riders staying overnight and cleaned up afterwards. Campus Safety has in the past handled security and patrols, responded to medical emergencies, and overseen traffic control and parking. (The last two will be handled independently this year.) AVI provides food as well.
And then there are more than 250 volunteers who make sure everything runs smoothly, doing everything from food and drink service to first aid to helping overnighters find dorms.
Bob Milnikel, faculty chair and professor of mathematics, has been one of the lead volunteers at the event for the past four years and has assisted in some capacity for the past 12. The atmosphere is incredible for everyone involved, he said.
“The positive energy of folks who have just finished a 100-mile ride never ceases to amaze me!” he said. “The cheering at the finish line lasts for hours and someone is there to cheer for every rider who finishes.”
As someone who was treated at Ohio State for both bladder cancer and melanoma, Milnikel said he appreciates Kenyon’s relationship with Pelotonia both from an institutional and a personal perspective.
“I love introducing riders and volunteers who have come in from other areas to our beautiful campus and the great community we have here,” he said. “I love getting a chance to give back in my small way to the James Cancer Hospital at OSU for the wonderful treatment I got there. And I'm so appreciative of the research opportunities that Kenyon students get as a result of Kenyon's participation. It feels like a win-win-win for everyone involved.”
No matter what role one plays in Ride Weekend, the experience is one that brings the whole community together, according to Tsunekage.
“It's a really unifying event in the area,” he said. “It's something that I think the community really values.”
Joe Apgar, Pelotonia’s chief executive officer, called Kenyon a stunning oasis in rural America that has been an outstanding host over the years. He said he’s excited to continue the relationship that he first experienced as a rider more than a decade ago.
“Kenyon’s just a perfect place for us,” he said. “We’re excited to continue our partnership. Kenyon has a massive impact on our event, our community and our organization, and we’re so grateful.”
Anyone who would like to help can still register to volunteer during Ride Weekend, sponsor a rider, or register as a Challenger and set their own goal in terms of activity and fundraising.