Amanda and Bill Tilden are riding 192 miles on their bikes. But if you think that sounds tough, they want you to think about what they’re riding for.

“Riding bikes in the rain sucks, but it’s nothing compared to fighting cancer,” Amanda said.

In August, the Tildens, a father and daughter duo, are participating in the toughest route the Pan-Mass Challenge has to offer – the 192-mile route from Sturbridge to Provincetown.

This is Bill’s fifth time riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge, and Amanda’s second. Bill, the athletic director at Old Rochester Regional High School, got involved after a student’s mother passed away from cancer. That student got a group together to participate in the challenge to honor her mother, and the next year Bill wanted to get involved.

“I thought that what they were doing was really cool,” he said. “I asked to be on the team the next year.”

The challenge then became even more personal when Bill lost his own mother to cancer.

“That’s what made me want to do it,” Amanda said about losing her grandmother.

Both Bill and Amanda have to raise $5,000 to participate, and whatever they can’t raise through fundraising comes out of pocket. However, every cent of that goes to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. It’s that knowledge that makes the race worth it for the Tildens.

“It’s heartbreaking watching someone go through [cancer],” Bill said. “Seeing one person go through that is enough…This is the only way I know how to help.”

And the fact that everyone participating in the race is there for the same reason makes it all the more powerful for the duo.

“One year I was on some backwoods road and you get talking to people,” Bill said. “I was absolutely bawling talking to a stranger about our moms going through cancer. We’re all there for a reason.”

The Tildens are excited to tackle the race again and find doing the challenge together keeps them going.

“The hills kicked my butt last time, and he was good to motivate me,” Amanda said. “It’s good to have someone with you.”

The pair said they had been trying to incorporate more hills into their training this year, but, laughing, added “we haven’t trained as much as we’d like.”

“Everyone thinks the cape is flat, but trust me, it’s not,” Bill said. “I don’t think there’s a flat road on it.”

The race is August 4-5, and the Tildens encourage people to come out to Rochester to support the riders biking through town.

“We’d love to see some more faces in Rochester,” he said. “It’s the one hundred mile mark, and it gets pretty lonely out there.”

To donate, visit Amanda’s page at profile.pmc.org/AT0090 or Bill’s page at profile.pmc.org/BT0084.