The Mission and History of our
Cycle Challenge in CT
Mission
The CT Challenge (CTC) is a game-changing nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the 16.9 million cancer survivors in Connecticut and throughout the U.S. rebuild, improve and prolong their lives through exercise, nutrition, mind-body health and community-building support programs.
The CT Challenge opened the Center for Survivorship in 2012 as an incubator for best practices in cancer survivorship care. The CT Challenge Bike Event is the primary funding vehicle for the paradigm-shifting programs advanced by Mission.
The programs funded by the CT Challenge Ride were renamed Mission in 2017 to position them as the flagship for cancer survivors everywhere. Our commitment to use these programs to equip all who battle cancer with the exercise, nutrition and mind-body knowledge, tools and community needed to live. life. vibrantly. remains unchanged.
CT Challenge – The Beginning
The CT Challenge was co-founded in 2005 by childhood cancer survivor and Fairfield, CT native Jeff Keith and Westport-based entrepreneur and endurance athlete John Ragland. Jeff, who lost his right leg to cancer when he was 12 years old, is the president and CEO of CT Challenge. After running across America to raise money and awareness for cancer research following his graduation from Boston College, where he was a Division 1 lacrosse player, in 1984, Jeff earned his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Southern California.
During the nearly two-decade career in investment banking that followed, he co-founded Swim Across America, volunteering many hours to help establish the multiple open-water swimming events that now comprise this organization, which continues to raise millions of dollars each year for cancer research and support programs nationwide. Jeff turned his attention to survivorship, co-founding the CT Challenge as he became more aware of the long-term effects of his own treatment, the massive benefits of exercise, nutrition and group initiatives in countering them and as he realized there is next to nothing in place to support survivors after acute treatment is complete.